A local football player found missing Cochranite Dave Carlsson on the morning of Nov. 17 at Cochrane High.
The 75 year old was reported missing by his family on Nov. 16 at 6 p.m.
“He hadn’t had any jacket on, just his shirt and pants on – we were worried about where we were going to find him and in what condition,” said Carlsson’s wife Pat Carlsson.
That evening Cochrane RCMP, Search and Rescue, and Police Dog Services conducted a search until the 4 a.m. when the search was called off until first light.
That morning, local Cochrane High football player Cody Pickering found Carlsson in the field house.
“Cody had taken his bag to the field house, when he put it down and saw Mr. Carlsson sitting on the bench,” Cody Pickering’s mom Lorraine Pickering said. “My son was worried because he wasn’t making any sense and had a cut on his head. He was also bundled up in some football clothing and my son’s socks – trying to stay warm.”
Pickering said it was around 8:45 a.m. Nov. 17 when her son ran back to tell Cochrane High football coach Rob McNab what happened.
“I did know something was wrong because he was very disoriented – he had some scrapes on his forehead,” McNab said of Carlsson.
“I didn’t recognize him but I thought this might be someone who is missing from somewhere in the neighbourhood so I called 911 right away.”
Cochrane RCMP Sgt. Darleen White said the search party had resumed that morning at “first-light.”
“We had someone call in saying they believed they saw (Carlsson) at Cochrane Crescent – so we had people searching by his residence and by high schools and shortly after that we got the confirmation he was found,” White said.
Pickering said her son was shaken up after finding Carlsson but resumed the day with his normal class schedule.
Before the RCMP arrived, McNab said Carlsson was “starting to come around.”
“Just a sweet man. We kept him in the field house and kept him warm and kept him hydrated,” McNab said.
“He was a nice, very nice polite sweet man.”
After the RCMP arrived, Carlsson was transferred to urgent care as a precaution because he was out all night, Sgt. White said.
Pat, Carlsson’s wife, said she felt relieved when she heard he had been found.
“Apparently he was cold when they found him, but relatively unharmed,” she said. Carlsson was taken to Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary before he was transferred to Clifton Manor nursing home.
“He was very tired when I dropped him off. I need to take him some clothing today,” Pat said with a laugh.
McNab said he was glad the story had a happy ending.
“I know there were a lot of people anxious last night and early this morning. I’m just glad we could do our small part – and I was just glad he was located and could be returned safely to his family,” he said.
“I think the Town of Cochrane just won the lottery,” Pickering said.
Sgt. White said on behalf of the Cochrane RCMP she would like to thank the public for their help – “we are glad it ended the way it did.”
