22 Jan 2017

Hope for missing woman dwindles

12:06 pm on 22 January 2017

Police say they no longer expect to find a missing 73-year-old Auckland woman alive.

Pat Wearn

Pat Wearn Photo: NZ Police

Pat Wearn, who has Alzheimer's, was last seen on Monday afternoon when she left her Torbay home for her regular walk.

Hundreds of people have been searching for Mrs Wearn, who's been missing for just over a week, but they've so far found no sign of her.

Search teams are again concentrating their efforts on bush and reserve areas.

But Inspector Sunny Patel says they've consulted with medical experts and they don't believe Mrs Wearn would have been able to survive this long.

He said the search would continue today, but police would review their options tomorrow.

Police were continuing to urge people in the Torbay area to check their properties, he said.

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