Authorities say a couple of “good Samaritans” are responsible for helping an elderly woman who was reported missing get back to her home in eastern Iowa. The woman, 79-year-old Della Faye Yoder of Kalona, has early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. She was reported missing at 7 p.m. Monday and her van was spotted driving south out of Kalona.
Cara Sorrells with the Washington County Sheriff’s office says Yoder ran out of gas 125 miles away in Lucas. Two residents of Lucas escorted her back to Kalona this morning. “They actually each chipped in 10 bucks, filled her van up with gas and escorted her back to her home,” Sorrells said.
“We were getting ready to do a more thorough search this morning to try and figure out some clues about where she went, when they actually pulled into her residence.” Sorrells did not know the names of the people from Lucas, but said they were unaware Yoder had been reported as missing.
“She’s very lucky she ran into some nice people who helped her get home,” Sorrells said. “It tells you there’s actually some good people left in the world.”