Missing woman Maria Machel, 85, safely located at Selkirk restaurant
CBC News | Posted: September 24, 2016 3:23 PM | Last Updated: September 25, 2016
'It all came to a happy ending,' stepson says after 30-hour ordeal
An elderly woman reported missing Friday has been safely located in Selkirk, Man.
Maria Machel, 85, had last been seen at about 10 a.m. Friday at the Grant Park Shopping Centre in Winnipeg.
On Saturday afternoon, after being missing for almost 30 hours, members of the family confirmed to CBC News that Machel had been found in a restaurant in Selkirk, Man.
"It all came to a happy ending," Maria's stepson Harold Machel said. "I'm overjoyed, so is my brother. My dad is happy too."
Maria was at the shopping mall Friday to drop off her 88-year-old husband for an appointment and was due at an appointment of her own in Linden Woods, a member of the family said.
She didn't get there, and after waiting at the mall for two hours for Maria to return, her husband eventually boarded a bus and headed home.
It took three buses for Maria's husband to get home. Maria had the keys to the house, so her husband was locked out and had to wait outside until his evening home-care worker, who visits the couple every night, arrived and let him in.
The family was contacted and then reported Maria missing to police.
Prior to the police report, officers had actually pulled Maria over in Tuxedo to check on her, Harold said, adding police told him she was let go and because she didn't seem confused at the time.
Maria doesn't carry a credit card or phone and doesn't like driving at night. All of these things, paired with concerns the family has about her ability to drive safely, made the whole experience hard to comprehend at first, Harold said.
On Saturday at about 3:30 p.m., the family received a call from a woman at the A&W in Selkirk claiming to have found his stepmother inside, after recognizing Maria from photos on social media.
"She was in a couple times today," A&W employee Melissa Rubashewsky said, adding she didn't know there was a search underway for Maria. "She did seem a little confused."
"She ordered, I thought nothing of it. And then when she was going to leave, she went to order another burger, and I thought nothing of it then and then she left. She came back later on and ordered the same thing."
The family drove to Selkirk, where they were reunited with Maria. Her car was found in the parking lot, and inside was an extra burger that Maria told family she bought for her husband.
Maria was weak and confused when family arrived to pick her up, but is otherwise in OK condition, Harold said.
"I'd just like to thank everybody who looked at the posts and helped us to bring this to a happy conclusion," Harold said. "Without people looking and helping we don't know where this would've ended."