Found Deceased WA - Julie Montague Ayers, 67, got separated from her partner while walking the dog, has dementia, Mt Baker Natl Forest, Kendall, 10 Mar 2023

[RickshawFan]

Erin Suda, Julie’s daughter, said they had no reason to fear their mom would wander off.

"She's still very capable of navigating in the areas where she's most familiar,” Suda said. “She had been lost before when she was still driving and that was really scary, but we haven't lost her in a while."

Snipped for focus...

It sounds like JA had a history of getting lost, but in family's minds they thought that was only when she was driving. It kinda sounds like they had to take away the keys (this being the usual method). I guess they didn't anticipate that getting lost wasn't only about driving. From my own experience with a parent and a godmother, it can be hard to bring loved ones around to the idea that dysfunction is way more profound than they knew. I found that some people just don't see it.

I guess I also wouldn't think of a trail environment in deep woods as being familiar enough to navigate in by someone with dementia. Woods are next dimension confusing, and for humans they bring on a whole separate lot of anxieties. That's why some of our most fearsome fairy tales are set in woods: they are dark and scary places, and very difficult to orient in. Think: Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood...

 

[Springrain]

Some thoughts after watching the video:
I am curious about what exactly the backstory with interest in getting a tracker was. I have heard of many stories of people with dementia or Alzheimer's who have cut off or thrown off their tracking jewelry, so if that was a concern for Julie I can understand that. I would guess that that is likely to be the reason behind the hesitation in getting a tracker, but that's JMO. Another reason that I feel is very likely is that they felt she didn't "need" one, yet. Again, JMO.

I think an issue in this case and many other cases involving missing older people with dementia or Alzheimer's is an overestimation of that person's capabilities. This is not me casting blame on anybody. They are awful diseases and can be very "sneaky". I think it is not uncommon to not fully understand how serious the illness is and to misunderstand what that person is or is not capable of.

I think their walking style also proved to be problematic with the two being so far away. Again, not blaming anybody and I know it's easier to see these things in hindsight. But I found the footage concerning.

This is exactly what I was wondering as well. The article quotes the husband as saying it wasn't unusual for the dog to run off. How does the dog run off if it's on a leash? Did he take the dog off the leash at some point? If so, why would you do that if you know the dog is going to run off and you have no voice control over it? I can't imagine taking a leash off a dog who is known to run off when I'm also walking with my spouse who has dementia.

This too.

 

[Lilibet]

I shifted the map I posted above, trying to accommodate your info. My goal is just to give everyone a "flavor" of the area, but hopefully it's more in line with this location. I can see trails in the forest to the west of the built-up area. That must be where she got lost?


HERE's the link, so you can zoom in and really see the trails.

View attachment 409395

From what I can tell, they live in the same development very close to where my friends lived (near where it says “Bakers Edge Pet Grooming” on the map). So the trails you see lead right out of the back of the development.
When we visited our friends back in 2005-2006, we took a walk around the development. It was a mix of houses and mobile homes, some not kept up. Our friends mentioned that there was a surprising amount of crime there. IIRC drugs were a problem. That’s still true according to the link below. Quite honestly, I found parts of this development kind of creepy…partly the woods and partly the condition of some homes. Some though were very nice, including our friends’. It was just kind of a mixed bag IMO, and that has me concerned.

The area I’m talking about is right across from where it says Balford on the linked map.

https://crimegrade.org/safest-places-in-peaceful-valley-wa/

 

[WingsOverTX]

From what I can tell, they live in the same development very close to where my friends lived (near where it says “Bakers Edge Pet Grooming” on the map). So the trails you see lead right out of the back of the development.
When we visited our friends back in 2005-2006, we took a walk around the development. It was a mix of houses and mobile homes, some not kept up. Our friends mentioned that there was a surprising amount of crime there. IIRC drugs were a problem. That’s still true according to the link below. Quite honestly, I found parts of this development kind of creepy…partly the woods and partly the condition of some homes. Some though were very nice, including our friends’. It was just kind of a mixed bag IMO, and that has me concerned.

The area I’m talking about is right across from where it says Balford on the linked map.

https://crimegrade.org/safest-places-in-peaceful-valley-wa/

How far is Kendall Lake from there? Is it very deep? It seems to have a lot of vegetation in Street View/Google Earth. I wonder if it has been searched.
TIA for anything you know

 

[katydid23]

Some thoughts after watching the video:
I am curious about what exactly the backstory with interest in getting a tracker was. I have heard of many stories of people with dementia or Alzheimer's who have cut off or thrown off their tracking jewelry, so if that was a concern for Julie I can understand that. I would guess that that is likely to be the reason behind the hesitation in getting a tracker, but that's JMO. Another reason that I feel is very likely is that they felt she didn't "need" one, yet. Again, JMO.

I think an issue in this case and many other cases involving missing older people with dementia or Alzheimer's is an overestimation of that person's capabilities. This is not me casting blame on anybody. They are awful diseases and can be very "sneaky". I think it is not uncommon to not fully understand how serious the illness is and to misunderstand what that person is or is not capable of.

I think their walking style also proved to be problematic with the two being so far away. Again, not blaming anybody and I know it's easier to see these things in hindsight. But I found the footage concerning.

This too.

It was said she had mild to moderate dementia in an earlier article, upthread. It can be very confusing for family members because the dementia often comes in waves. Your Mom can seem very rational and perceptive for a couple of days. You start to feel like she has improved and then suddenly she may appear disoriented and confused, and it comes on quickly.

On Monday and Tuesday she may have been capable of walking on the trail and finding her way home if separated. But come Wednesday she may have been too confused to handle that situation. It can happen quickly and I do understand how her husband might have been caught off guard.

 

[ifindedout]

How far is Kendall Lake from there? Is it very deep? It seems to have a lot of vegetation in Street View/Google Earth. I wonder if it has been searched.
TIA for anything you know

Bing has a better, much more recent street view on the main road, and extensive StreetScene coverage of the surrounding roads as well.

Bing Maps

Map multiple locations, get transit/walking/driving directions, view live traffic conditions, plan trips, view satellite, aerial and street side imagery. Do more with Bing Maps.

www.bing.com

 

[ifindedout]

The surface of those lakes looks deceptively green. If she got close to it, she might have walked out into it thinking it was solid ground and fallen completely in. Her boots may have given her an extra, though false, sense of security. She could also have slipped down the sloped areas and fallen in that way.

 

[WingsOverTX]

Bing has a better, much more recent street view on the main road, and extensive StreetScene coverage of the surrounding roads as well.

Thanks. I was asking @Lilibet because she knows the area. My data connection is slow so mapping things doesn't show me much except pixelations

 

[imstilla.grandma]

“I took off after the dog and left Julie right here,” Ayers said, pointing to the spot at the beginning of a trail near his home in the Peaceful Valley neighborhood near Kendall.
When he got back to the spot where he left his wife, she was gone. Ayers quickly got in touch with their children and his a family - they looked for Julie for several hours and waited for her to come home.
Just before 2 p.m., the sheriff’s office said Ayers called 911.
A post from the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office detailed the massive effort that began to find Julie.

Search continues for Whatcom County woman missing since March 10

Julie Montague-Ayers was on a walk with her husband when the couple got separated. Montague-Ayers has dementia.

www.king5.com

 

[WingsOverTX]

“I took off after the dog and left Julie right here,” Ayers said, pointing to the spot at the beginning of a trail near his home in the Peaceful Valley neighborhood near Kendall.
When he got back to the spot where he left his wife, she was gone. Ayers quickly got in touch with their children and his a family - they looked for Julie for several hours and waited for her to come home.
Just before 2 p.m., the sheriff’s office said Ayers called 911.
A post from the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office detailed the massive effort that began to find Julie.
View attachment 409423

Search continues for Whatcom County woman missing since March 10

Julie Montague-Ayers was on a walk with her husband when the couple got separated. Montague-Ayers has dementia.

www.king5.com

Hoping today is the day Julie comes home.

 

[Kingsley]

It was said she had mild to moderate dementia in an earlier article, upthread. It can be very confusing for family members because the dementia often comes in waves. Your Mom can seem very rational and perceptive for a couple of days. You start to feel like she has improved and then suddenly she may appear disoriented and confused, and it comes on quickly.

On Monday and Tuesday she may have been capable of walking on the trail and finding her way home if separated. But come Wednesday she may have been too confused to handle that situation. It can happen quickly and I do understand how her husband might have been caught off guard.

I agree completely. This was my experience with my own mother. Things seem very mild and then go bad suddenly for a day or so. Unless Mr. Ayers had lived through this with someone else, he doesn't have the benefit of hindsight, only the deceptive lens of hopeful denial that most family members hold onto initially. It's not the same as a child where everyone understands that they initially need to be constantly watched. When you start with a highly functioning adult and it not only changes, but changes in unpredictable ways, it is easier to misjudge. JMO.

 

[Gut_feeling]

I agree completely. This was my experience with my own mother. Things seem very mild and then go bad suddenly for a day or so. Unless Mr. Ayers had lived through this with someone else, he doesn't have the benefit of hindsight, only the deceptive lens of hopeful denial that most family members hold onto initially. It's not the same as a child where everyone understands that they initially need to be constantly watched. When you start with a highly functioning adult and it not only changes, but changes in unpredictable ways, it is easier to misjudge. JMO.

Thank you for that perspective, I have a better understanding now.

 

[Lilibet]

How far is Kendall Lake from there? Is it very deep? It seems to have a lot of vegetation in Street View/Google Earth. I wonder if it has been searched.
TIA for anything you know

I wish I could answer your questions. I don’t recall seeing Kendall Lake when we were there. You make a good point that it should be searched.

 

[Happypetitvieux01]

“I took off after the dog and left Julie right here,” Ayers said, pointing to the spot at the beginning of a trail near his home in the Peaceful Valley neighborhood near Kendall.
When he got back to the spot where he left his wife, she was gone. Ayers quickly got in touch with their children and his a family - they looked for Julie for several hours and waited for her to come home.
Just before 2 p.m., the sheriff’s office said Ayers called 911.
A post from the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office detailed the massive effort that began to find Julie.
View attachment 409423

Search continues for Whatcom County woman missing since March 10

Julie Montague-Ayers was on a walk with her husband when the couple got separated. Montague-Ayers has dementia.

www.king5.com

Do we have a timeframe?
Do we know for how long she was left alone during the search for the dog? She was so far away, again in a densed and wood area, that even calling her name was not enough? Did I miss this info somewhere in the thread?

 

[Happypetitvieux01]

I can't seem to find out who the last person to see her was...

Was she seen by anyone other than her partner that day?

This case is so concerning. I sure hope they find her alive and well, and soon.

I think we still don't have the info? Any witness before and on the trail?

 

[RickshawFan]

Some thoughts after watching the video:
I am curious about what exactly the backstory with interest in getting a tracker was. I have heard of many stories of people with dementia or Alzheimer's who have cut off or thrown off their tracking jewelry, so if that was a concern for Julie I can understand that. I would guess that that is likely to be the reason behind the hesitation in getting a tracker, but that's JMO. Another reason that I feel is very likely is that they felt she didn't "need" one, yet. Again, JMO.

I think an issue in this case and many other cases involving missing older people with dementia or Alzheimer's is an overestimation of that person's capabilities. This is not me casting blame on anybody. They are awful diseases and can be very "sneaky". I think it is not uncommon to not fully understand how serious the illness is and to misunderstand what that person is or is not capable of.

I think their walking style also proved to be problematic with the two being so far away. Again, not blaming anybody and I know it's easier to see these things in hindsight. But I found the footage concerning.

This too.

IME folks with dementia get easily paranoid, and might figure being tracked was something threatening.

Surreptitious solution?

I now use an AppleWatch for fall detection (i.e. in case I fall over on one of my adventure pursuits), but as far as I can tell, it could be used for a loved one to track me. If I had dementia, it's possible I could easily be convinced to have a fall detector, even if I was totally against having a "tracker". I'd be none the wiser if they inserted an app on it to find me.

AppleTags have been nefariously used for stalking people. I suppose they could be used benignly for tracking cognitively-limited adults? Definitely put one in their car......

 

[RickshawFan]

I wish I could answer your questions. I don’t recall seeing Kendall Lake when we were there. You make a good point that it should be searched.

There are small bodies of water and streams in that wooded area, too.

 

[Cedars]

The dog's on a leash in the news report. The dog's on a leash on nabor's camera video where he is walking ahead of her on the street. Letting the dog get away from him, shows he can't control the dog if it is off-leash. So was the dog still on a leash when it ran away from him?

Search continues for Whatcom County woman missing since March 10

Julie Montague-Ayers was on a walk with her husband when the couple got separated. Montague-Ayers has dementia.

www.king5.com

Some dogs run off with the leash, if the person isn't gripping tight, or doesn't have grip strength. Especially when the dog is young/not properly trained.

Also, I can imagine, after a long marriage, and when symptoms aren't constantly manifesting, it's probably hard to remember in every single moment that your spouse is no longer the person they were for so long. There's an ingrained assumption that operates when something happens that takes your attention elsewhere.

I think some people expect us to be programmed like computers, but humans don't function that way.

JMO

 

[Stunned]

The surface of those lakes looks deceptively green. If she got close to it, she might have walked out into it thinking it was solid ground and fallen completely in. Her boots may have given her an extra, though false, sense of security. She could also have slipped down the sloped areas and fallen in that way.

The marshy look of it really surprised me!

 

[annpats]

Our friends mentioned that there was a surprising amount of crime there. IIRC drugs were a problem. That’s still true according to the link below. Quite honestly, I found parts of this development kind of creepy…partly the woods and partly the condition of some homes. Some though were very nice, including our friends’. It was just kind of a mixed bag

I know what you mean. Dark, dank forests gives me the creeps anyway, especially with semi-abandoned cabins around.
Having looked around this area on Google StreetView, it gives me "Twin Peaks" vibes.