Tweet brings happy ending to snow search for York pensioner (From York Press)

Tweet brings happy ending to snow search for York pensioner

9:24pm Tuesday 12th March 2013 in News By Megi Rychlikova, megi.rychlikova@thepress.co.uk

A PENSIONER who went missing from his York home for hours in snowy conditions is safe, thanks to a member of the public and Twitter.

North Yorkshire Police tweeted for help when the man, who suffers from memory loss, was reported missing from his home in Copmanthorpe this afternoon. Their concern grew as the temperatures fell, as he had not been dressed for a night out in icy and snowy conditions when he had left home.

By mid-evening he was still missing. But then a member of the public who had seen the tweet and remembered its description of the 76-year-old spotted him at near the Tesco superstore at Askham Bar and phoned police, then he stayed with the pensioner until police arrived and took him home.

Chief Inspector John Wilkinson praised the Good Samaritan and others who had responded to their tweet. “It was a real community result”, he said as he thanked the public for their help.

The pensioner, who was not named by police, had left his home at 9.45am as normal, but when he failed to return according to his usual habit by mid-afternoon, the alarm was raised. Because of his age, his health and the wintry conditions, police immediately treated it as a high priority.