A frantic daughter. A lost father. And a cross-state rescue that came together thanks to sharp-eyed Virginia troopers and some quick coordination across state lines.

An 83-year-old North Carolina man with a cognitive impairment who went missing after leaving home early Wednesday, Oct. 8, was safely found in Brunswick County, Virginia, after a joint search between the Virginia State Police (VSP) and North Carolina State Highway Patrol (NCSHP).

According to officials, Mr. Croom left his home in Wilmington around 3:30 a.m. and never returned.

His daughter, Ms. Mikesh, panicked and drove to the NCSHP district office in Wake County around 8 a.m. to report him missing.

She told troopers that she tracked her father’s phone, showing him traveling northbound on I-85 in Virginia.

From there, in

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