Elderly woman, fourth person to go missing in region Thursday, in hospital after cold exposure

Four people were reported missing in the Inland Northwest’s frigid temperatures Thursday, and two of them were transported to hospitals after being exposed to the weather.

At 7:30 p.m., Spokane police were searching the area around Safeway in Hillyard looking for 86-year-old Donna Horwath, according to a Spokane Police Department news release.

By 7:50 p.m., she was located and en route to the hospital for treatment after exposure to the 16-degree weather in Spokane.

Horwath was one of three Spokane residents reported missing Thursday during the cold temperatures. A girl near Rathdrum was also reported missing but found at a friend’s.

Police found Horwath and another missing elderly woman, Jung Kang, within an hour of their being reported missing, according to news releases.

Kang, suffering from dementia, walked away from a business near Nevada Street and Wellesley Avenue not dressed for the weather, one release said. Kang was also taken to the hospital, Cpl. Ron Van Tassel said.

Police described both women’s situations as “life-threatening” due to extreme cold.

Meanwhile, 13-year-old Bailey Cederblom was still missing.