Facebook post helped reunite lost elderly woman with family

FONTANA, Calif. (KABC) -- Fontana police are crediting the power of social media with helping them quickly reunite a disoriented elderly woman with her family.

A patrol officer found the woman wandering in a bathrobe and carrying a TV remote at around 6 a.m. Wednesday at the intersection of Sierra and Walnut avenues in Fontana.

The woman knew her first name, Patricia, but couldn't remember much else.

Trying to identify her, police put out the word on Facebook with the woman's picture.

It took only about eight hours before they had their ID.

A neighbor scrolling through Facebook happened to notice the post and contacted the woman's daughter who lives in Orange County.

The daughter called police and confirmed her mother's identity and said she lives in a complex near where she was found. She also told police that her mother had been mentally functional until a recent change in medication.

The woman was brought to a local hospital for evaluation and the daughter was expected to be reunited with her there.