Missing woman found safe in canyon near SDSU

A police helicopter crew searching for a Del Cerro woman with dementia found her in good condition near her home late Thursday morning, a day after she disappeared.

Using a device that scans terrain and buildings for heat sources, such as human bodies, the airborne officers found 73-year-old Jan Mattei walking in a canyon off the 6800 block of Easton Court about 11 a.m., Sgt. Lisa McKean said.

An emergency services chopper crew went to the gorge and sent down a medic who put Mattei onto a litter, which was lifted into the aircraft.

The woman was then flown to a nearby field at Mission Trails Regional Park, where an ambulance crew awaited to evaluate her, said Lee Swanson, a spokesman for the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.

Mattei wandered away from her home in the 6300 block of Caminito Estrellado late Wednesday morning, police said.