Johanna Kirkwood
/ family photo
LANSING -- Authorities in Tompkins County have significantly scaled back the search for a missing elderly woman until Monday morning.
81-year-old Johanna Kirkwood suffers from dementia. Authorities say around 12:00 pm Saturday she wandered away from her home on Horizon Drive in Lansing while her husband was at the store.
Speaking exclusively with CNY Central's Chris McGrath, Kirkwood's son Jim said the family is not giving up hope.
"We're obviously trying to take care of my dad," Kirkwood said. "He's 82 and he's having a tough time with all this, so we're bonding together as a family and we're going to make this happen with a positive outcome."
The Kirkwood family is far from alone in the search for Johanna.
Hundreds of volunteers have helped the Tompkins County Sheriff's Office and New York State Forest Rangers comb through hundreds of acres of woods near Cayuga Lake.
Tompkins County Undersheriff Derek Osborne said they've confirmed two sightings of Johanna, not far from the Lansing home. But authorities said time is not on their side, especially with frigid temperatures overnight.
"We are concerned about the weather, it has been dropping steadily over the past few days so that is a concern of ours," said Osborne.
Kirkwood was last seen wearing a black padded coat. She is described as 5'4" tall and weighing 110 pounds.
Anyone who sees her is asked to call the Tompkins County 911 center at (607) 272-2444.
