The Royal Caribbean Cruise Line vessel Jewel of the Sea reported the 65-year-old woman missing at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. She ended up leaving the ship when it docked in Victoria earlier in the day and she didn’t return. As a result, the ship left without her.
Victoria police were called to the scene and her husband told police that his wife was displaying symptoms associated with dementia. Police looked for her and eventually found her after they were tipped off by staff at the Fairmont Empress hotel in downtown Victoria.
The woman was taken to the hospital where she was assessed, and while she was at the hospital, one of the officers, Andre Almeida, arranged a flight for the woman to Seattle, where she could make her connection and get back to New York. The officer used his own credit card, and he said that there was no other way to ensure she would make it back home.
The officer said that the woman needed help and if it was his own mother stranded somewhere, then he would hope someone would help her.
The woman spent the night in the hospital and then she was taken to Victoria International Airport by police. At the airport, Alaska Airlines decided to reimburse Almeida and ensured that the woman made it to Seattle in time to get her flight to NY.
