69-year-old Coquitlam woman with dementia found alive and well in backyard after missing for 5 days
Global News
Lifang Cheng was missing from her Coquitlam home over 5 days. On Saturday, the 69-year-old with dementia appeared alive and well in the backyard of Marjorie and Ed Kurucz.
Frank Zhang says it was like something out of a movie when two strangers happened to find his mother after she went missing for more than five days.
“It’s a happy ending, it was such a relief for me,” Zhang told Global News from a Coquitlam backyard where his mother was found.
“I was so thankful to all the volunteers, all the rescue forces trying to get hold of her. But after a massive search with no information, I was mentally prepared for her not coming back forever.”
Zhang says his mother moved to Coquitlam from China just three months ago and regularly would take morning walks.
“I told her regularly: ‘Don’t walk too far, don’t wander off’,” Zhang explained.
Lifang Cheng took off for her morning walk last Monday but never came back. Cheng was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and given her condition, a massive search around Coquitlam’s Burke Mountain and Minnekhada Regional Park was launched.
But after five days with hundreds of police and volunteers looking for her, the couple who actually found her needed only to look in their own backyard, finding Cheng sitting on a rock.
Marjorie and Ed Kurucz said they found Cheng beside their goldfish ponds in the backyard by sheer coincidence.
On Tuesday, Prairie Harm Reduction announced it would stay open 24/7 for the next week to offer people a warm safe place until the city’s plan took effect.
The competition watchdog said Wednesday that the ongoing investigation into the Canadian furniture retailers looks at three kinds of marketing practices.
The $7.28 billion budget unveiled by Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante includes a promise to increase the city's housing department budget by $100 million over the next three years.
The union representing port supervisors in British Columbia is challenging the legal and constitutional authority of the federal labour minister to order them back to work.
Randy Boissonnault is out of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s federal cabinet after months of controversy surrounding his former business.
A volunteer group has donated $60,000 to KHSC’s KidsInclusive as it winds down after 119 years, ensuring support for children’s care over the next five years.
Queen’s University will install North America’s first carbon-sequestering field turf at Nixon Field, enhancing sustainability while supporting sports and research.
Gerry Lichty, North Frontenac mayor, was elected 2025 Frontenac County warden. He aims to tackle rural challenges, with Bill Saunders as deputy warden.
Quebec Premier François Legault says the Sûreté du Québec, the province's police force, will 'conduct visual investigations at the borders.'
When people pass by the white-pillared Beaverbrook Art Gallery starting this weekend, they will be greeted by one of Fredericton's most famous sculptures.
The Toronto Santa Clause Parade faces financial challenges but, with public and government support, they are working hard to secure its future and keep the magic alive.