MIDDLEBURY — Middlebury police and a Vermont State Police K9 unit early Tuesday morning, Nov. 21, located an 81-year-old man with Alzheimer’s disease who had wandered away from his Washington Street home during the evening of Monday, Nov. 20.

Police said it was at around 11:28 p.m. on Monday that they received word that the man, who lived alone, was missing from his home. 

Responding Middlebury police officers immediately began searching the area but were unable to locate the man. They sought assistance from Search and Rescue and a state police K9 unit — Cpl. Justin Busby and his police dog, Drax. The outside temperature at the time was 17 degrees Fahrenheit, according to police, which made the search even more pressing.

At about 3:14 a.m. on Tuesday, the Drax and Busby located the missing man lying on the ground near a storage building at another Washington Street residence, less than 400 feet from the man’s home. The man wasn’t wearing any shoes and was suffering from the effects of the cold, according to police.

The man was transported to Porter Hospital by Middlebury Regional EMS and his condition on Tuesday afternoon was not available.