St. Johns County, FL — St. Johns Sheriff's Office deputies found an 83-year-old man who suffers from dementia in a marsh, covered in mud and dehydrated.
Deputies said Arthur LaFontaine, 83, reportedly walked away from Flagler Hospital Wednesday afternoon. He was found Thursday afternoon in a marsh near a bridge.
Authorities said he was covered from head to toe in mud.
A spokesperson from the hospital said LaFontaine was treated for a clinical condition, and was discharged from the emergency care center Wednesday afternoon. He was waiting for a ride there when he wandered off before his ride arrived. Detectives found him less than a mile away, 20 hours later on Thursday.
Detective Jeff Cook, one of the men who carried LaFontaine out of the marsh to safety, said, "It could have been a bad ending but I'm so glad that it wasn't. It was a happy ending."
Detective Kared Monie was another deputy who assisted in the rescue. He said a helicopter spotted LaFontaine after a deputy saw he had walked toward State Road 312 on surveillance video at Flagler Hospital.
SJSO had K9's assisting in the search, and a team on the ground.
Deputies said he was found about 100 yards away in the woods behind the Orthopedic Associates of St. Augustine building.
"He was very dehydrated. He had been out there all night. He was very much out of it, and he couldn't walk on his own. He had no strength," said Det. Monie.
LaFontaine was brought back to the hospital Thursday afternoon where he reunited with his family.