TAMPA, Fla. — The 74-year-old woman with dementia and diabetes who went missing on Tuesday was found safe in Ybor City Wednesday afternoon after a Brandon man saw a Facebook post about her disappearance.
Edna Rainey, of Palm Harbor, was last seen alone at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, walking away from the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa.
According to the Seminole Police Department of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, surveillance video showed Rainey walking west on the south side of Hillsborough Avenue from Orient Road.
Police said Rainey "was at the casino complex with family members, who lost touch with her and contacted security officers to report her missing."
After 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Jesse Guerrero, of Brandon, found Rainey in Ybor City outside of Jimmy's Tacos.
Guerrero said he recognized Rainey because he read a missing person post about her less than an hour before on the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office Facebook page
"I noticed her walking near the parked cars," said Guerrero. "When I saw her face, she looked familiar. She introduced herself as Edna Rainey. She seemed unaware of what was going on."
Guerrero called Seminole Police, who responded to the scene within minutes, with support from Tampa Police Department officers. Rainey is currently being reunited with her sister and daughter at the Seminole Police Department office adjacent to the Seminole Hard Rock.
"Her family is overjoyed," said William Latchford, Executive Director of Public Safety for the Seminole Tribe of Florida. "This is a perfect ending to a scary situation, and we want to thank police agencies all over Tampa Bay for the great efforts they made to get the word out through social media and other channels. Special thanks to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office for the Facebook post that ultimately helped to find Edna Rainey."
