WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — More than a week after she departed Denver on a train bound for her home in White Sulphur Springs, Deloris Arnold has been found by her family.
Arnold’s family last talked to her before she boarded the train and learned she had to switch from a train to a bus in Chicago for a brief time due to flooding in that part of the country. However, as far as anyone can tell, that’s where things went wrong and she disappeared.
Thursday morning, the family got a call from a doctors at the Mount Sinai Beth Israel Hospital in New York City, It turned out Arnold was a patient and had given their number to the doctor.
“He gave a report that she came into the E-R last night,” said White Sulphur Springs Police Officer Shannon Morris. “She was actually found walking around in the street, not sure of the exact location, but brought to the hospital by ambulance last night.”
The family made arrangements and with the financial help of a local church was headed to New York City Thursday to pick up Arnold who remains hospitalized being treated for a minor infection. Otherwise, authorities say she is physically okay. Relatives were alarmed when they hadn’t heard from her because she suffers from early stages of dementia.
The family has no idea how she wound up in New York City after she was supposed to travel to Indianapolis by bus and then board the Amtrak to continue home to West Virginia. Morris hoped they’d be able to learn more once they sat down with Arnold to talk about her journey.
“At this time, we’re assuming she boarded the wrong bus at the Greyhound Station in Chicago,” said Morris. “But until we get a report and actually hear from her we really won’t know what happened.”