A 67-year-old woman missing for three days after leaving a Eugene care facility in an electric wheelchair was found dead Wednesday, July 8, police said.

A police detective found Carol Clove Petitti near 29th Place and Onyx Street, about four blocks from the South Hills Rehabilitation Center, which she had left at about 4:30 p.m. Sunday, police said.

Carol Clove Petitti Credit: Courtesy / Eugene Police Department

“She was found in a secluded area of dense brush, after leaving a paved path,” Eugene police said in a news release. The Lane County Medical Examiner is investigating her cause of death, police said.

Police said drones and Oregon State Police dogs were deployed in searching for Clove Pettiti, who had dementia and Parkinson’s disease. 

Lane County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue also assisted Eugene police with the search. In addition to searching by patrol officers and other police department personnel, the efforts to find Clove Pettiti included requests to the public for help and also a review of available surveillance camera footage from the area, police said.