POLICE have commended a retiree for her efforts helping a missing Carine woman.
Kate Taylor (73) was walking her dog in her Woodvale retirement village at about 9am on January 27 when she saw a young woman she did not recognise.
She was unable to get proper responses from the woman as to who she was visiting and believed she was ill-equipped for the forecast 40C day.
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READ NOW“I was worried, I just knew something wasn’t right,” she said.
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“I knew by now she needed help.”
Ms Taylor organised some water and something to eat for the woman, and while a neighbour stayed with her, went away to call police.
Her detailed description led the police operator to identify that the woman had been reported missing from her Carine home, 7km away, at about 3am.
She remained with the woman until police arrived.
“I was just talking to her and asking her questions,” she said.
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“I was thrilled to bits when she was safe.”
Scarborough Police presented Ms Taylor with a certificate of appreciation on Thursday, recognising her for contacting police with a detailed description and looking after the woman until officers attended.
Senior Sergeant Craig Wanstall said Ms Taylor had been “essential” to locating the missing woman and did everything right in the situation.
“We thank her for her efforts, through her good work we were able to connect police with this woman who needed medical treatment,” he said.
Ms Taylor described it as a “sixth sense” knowing the woman needed help and her actions were instinctive, but encouraged anyone else finding themselves in the same situation to talk quietly, give the person space and report information to police.
“If something is wrong, you might not be able to help, but you can at least say you saw something suspicious,” she said.