After a three-day manhunt for missing city resident Barbara Brown, police found the 71-year-old teacher and church soloist Saturday afternoon less than three blocks away from her home.
Unfortunately, sources said, Brown wandered off into the woods between Shepard and W. Englewood avenues on Wednesday afternoon March 26 and she never made it back.
Brown, 71, suffering from a severe case of Alzheimer’s Disease, was found not breathing by police Saturday at about 4 p.m., lying behind the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Teaneck.
Churchgoers filtered out of the church as police lights flashed in a nearby driveway.
A county investigation truck and police cars surrounded the church and police tape marked off a large area in the woods behind it.
The search for Brown, a retired Englewood schoolteacher and church soloist, began Thursday after a home health aide reported her missing. Concern arose when police learned that Brown had severe memory loss, had little use of one of her arms and walked away from the home wearing nothing more than pink pajamas. She had no money or other belongings on her.
Police initiated an intense search because it was an "extraordinary" missing person case, Detective Capt. Steven Sabo said.
Police from Englewood, police and canines from Bergen County and a helicopter outfitted with thermal imaging technology were all involved in the hunt.
Police went door to door, posted signs around the area of 260 Shepard Ave. where Brown was last seen and reverse 911 calls were made to residents asking if anyone had seen the elderly woman.
Brown’s disappearance remained a mystery until Saturday.
According to Sabo, "several" residents responded to the reverse 911 and said they had seen Brown in the area of W. Englewood Avenue shortly after she went missing three days earlier.
Police Officer Joseph Doyle followed up on one of the leads and found Brown’s body in the back of the church at about 4:15 p.m. Saturday, Sabo said.
On Friday night, residents who went to church with Brown at West Side Presbyterian said they were very worried that Barbara was missing for more than two days.
"I don’t think she is prepared to be out there," said Mickey Seacrest.
Seacrest sung with Brown in the choir for 20 years at West Side. She said she hadn’t seen Brown for more than a year and that she had stopped coming to church because of a stroke. Seacrest said Brown had planned to move down south to live with her son.
The cause of Brown's death was undetermined last week, pending the results of an autopsy, Sabo said.
Police say they do not suspect foul play was involved in Brown’s death.
Anyone with information call 201-568-2711.
E-mail: kumka@northjersey.com or call 201-894-6705
