Family: Hospital Was Unable To Connect Patient To Missing Woman

A woman missing from the Pittsburgh suburb of Glassport had been at a hospital about 10 miles away the entire time, though authorities said how she got there remains a mystery.

Divers, emergency crews and volunteers began searching for Debbie Russell, 57, after she didn't return from an afternoon walk in Glassport on Thursday.

Authorities said the woman has brain and lung cancer and suffers from dementia.

Crews searched overnight and finally located Russell at McKeesport Hospital Friday morning.

Russell's family is overjoyed she was found safe, but they're not happy with the way some things were handled.

“I called UPMC, my brother tried calling, it’s also on file,” said the woman’s son Joe Russell. “The police also had an APB on her.”

There were 10 fire companies, local police, state police, a helicopter, two dive teams and local volunteers who helped search for the woman for more than 14 hours.

During the search, a phone call came in from McKeesport Hospital.

"They recognized the patient that they had admitted into the hospital matching the description and the picture that was broadcast through the local news media," said Alvin Henderson, assistant chief of operations in Allegheny County.

Family members were upset, because they said they called the hospital numerous times to see if she had been admitted.