A Glassport woman missing since yesterday afternoon never was lost, police said.

Debbie Russell, 57, who suffers from cancer and dementia, and walks with a limp had been in UPMC McKeesport Hospital for nearly all of the 14 hours that she had been reported missing.

Debbie Russell

Someone at the hospital called 911 at 7:09 a.m. today to report Ms. Russell had been admitted last evening.

Alvin Henderson Jr., assistant chief for Allegheny County Emergency Services, said this morning that he and other searchers had not determined how Ms. Russell got to the hospital.

Her home on Marie Street in Glassport is between three and four miles from the hospital.

"She was not aware of the search. She didn't feel the need to notify her family," Glassport Police Deputy Chief Shawn DeVerse said.

He said officers visited the woman this morning, waking her from a sound sleep.

Deputy Chief DeVerse said the investigation is continuing as officers seek an explanation from the hospital for not reporting the woman was a patient.

Ms. Russell had last been seen at home around 4:30 p.m. yesterday.

Searchers fanned out late last night, calling in hound dogs around 3 a.m. today to assist.

Mr. Henderson said searchers followed standard procedure, which included calls to all area hospitals. None, including UPMC McKeesport, reported the woman was at their facilities.

Deputy Chief DeVerse said Ms. Russell "seemed tired," but the hospital declined to disclose her condition.

UPMC spokeswoman Susan Manko said the hospital system policy is to honor requests by patients who do not want information released about their hospital stays.

She said UPMC McKeesport has no record of police calling to inquire about a specific patient, and there were no women admitted without identification.

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