Dozens searching for missing Orange County woman with dementia

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WTVD) -- Nearly four dozen people are searching for an Orange County woman with dementia who has been missing since early Wednesday.

The trained crews continued their second day of searching starting at 8 a.m. Thursday.

They have been combing through the woods near Chapel Hill looking for 75-year-old Maryanne Rosenman.

Rosenman has dementia. She was last seen around 6 a.m. Wednesday morning.

Neighbor Carole Strickland told ABC11 on Thursday that she's still hopeful.

"We searched the perimeter of our property and all the ditches, made sure we checked the outside cabinetry and the outside closets to our home as well because we had read in the article that some people unfortunately with dementia can climb into spaces like that seeking shelter so we're hoping everything turns out okay," she said.

She also has a message for her neighbors.

"Everybody needs to search. Everybody needs to do their part. This is a woman that's part of our community and we need to show our support for her family and her," she said.

Rosenman's husband reported her missing from their home on Stoneridge Drive in Chapel Hill.

Her home is about a mile from where the command post is set up at the volunteer fire department.

She was last seen wearing a blue-green nightgown. She has blonde hair and a medium build.

Deputies say Rosenman has wandered off before but was found quickly.