Missing Dresden woman found near La. state line

DRESDEN, Tenn. — The Mississippi Highway Patrol located a Dresden woman Tuesday afternoon who was last seen on Sunday.

Rita Moneymaker was found near the Mississippi and Louisiana state line.

Because the 77-year-old has both dementia and Alzheimer’s, investigators say it was important to find her as soon as possible.

“It’s severe when she is not medicated or on medication for it,” Steve Howe, an investigator for the Dresden Police Department, said. “She has no known friends. The only other family member outside of Tennessee she has is a son located in Florida.”

Family members say she left her home around 10:30 a.m. Sunday.

A Silver Alert was issued for the woman, and all surrounding law enforcement agencies were contacted.

But investigator Howe says after a person has been missing for more than 24 hours, the case starts to get serious. “It depends on the severity of how bad their case is, but cases like this one, when they have gone missing for a couple of days, it gets everybody worried.”

Family says this is not the first time Rita Moneymaker has disappeared from her home, but she has never been missing more than three days.

“I have called everybody that I can think of that would look for her in Dresden and Martin,” Nora Odom, the woman’s daughter, said.

Investigator Howe says the Mississippi Highway Patrol had a tag reader and was able to identify Monkeymaker’s car from the silver alert.

Her family is making arrangements to get her back home and will be reunited with her Tuesday night.