Elderly woman safe due to welfare check, Jackson County Sheriff's Office says

JACKSON COUNTY, Ore. – A simple welfare check led to the discovery of an elderly woman who was snowed-in without power for the past two days.

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said on Tuesday, December 28, the brother of a 75-year-old woman got concerned when he hadn’t heard from his sister since Christmas Day. The man asked authorities to check on her since she had over a foot of snow at her house on Griffin Lane in Jacksonville.

The sheriff’s office drove through 18 inches of snow to the woman’s house and found that she had been without power or heat for the last couple of days. She reportedly tried to leave but couldn’t get her car out of the garage.

According to JCSO, deputies gave her a ride to a Medford hotel.

The sheriff’s office said this story ended without tragedy thanks to her brother’s concerns and the persistence of the deputies and dispatchers involved.

“During this winter season reach out to your loved ones, especially those experiencing heavy snowfall and below-freezing temperatures, and call Emergency Communications of Southern Oregon dispatch at (541) 776-7206 if you need to arrange a welfare check,” JCSO said.