JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – An 82-year-old woman was found dead on Christmas morning on the campus of Mandarin High School after she was reported missing by her family a few hours earlier.
Paula Gerding was last seen just after 1:30 a.m. wearing matching blue and purple pajamas with no shoes. Her family said she had recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and had other health conditions. She was last seen walking.
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As the sun rose on a cold Sunday morning, JSO was asking residents around the intersection of Greenland Road and Mountain Wood Lane to check their properties and cameras.
The expansive search included 40 members of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, dogs, drones and 50 members of Jacksonville Fire and Rescue.
A JSO spokesman said Gerding was found around 11:40 a.m. at the school.
“We are now working with school board police to review video as part of an ongoing death investigation into Mrs. Gerding’s death,” a JSO spokesman said. “Obviously, every day but especially on Christmas, we’d hoped for a better outcome. I do want to thank the community for their assistance in trying to locate Ms. Gerding along with the cooperating agencies who participated in the search.”