PORT ANGELES — An elderly couple last seen in Copalis Crossing 5 miles from their Grays Harbor County home were found in Clallam County early Friday after a statewide alert had been issued.
Roy Buchanan, 83, and Bonnie Buchanan, 80, had been missing since early Thursday evening.
They were located by a State Patrol trooper at R Corner Store between Port Angeles and Sequim early Friday, said Dave Pimentel, Grays Harbor sheriff’s chief criminal deputy.
Once located, arrangements were made for the couple to stay in Port Angeles for the night before their family arrived to take them home, Pimentel said.
Pimentel said this was not the first time the Buchanans had gone missing.
The Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Office will be working with the Buchanan family to prevent the couple from driving in the future, he said.
Several citizens initially reported concern for the couple.
At about 5 p.m., the couple stopped at a volunteer fire station in Copalis Crossing some 5 miles from their house and asked a firefighter for directions to their home, Pimentel said.
The firefighter was concerned enough about the couple to notify the Sheriff’s Office, he said.
About an hour later, the couple were spotted in Hoquiam, and at about the same time, family members reported the couple missing.
At that point, the Grays County Sheriff’s Office issued a missing-persons bulletin on the Buchanans, which resulted in the State Patrol trooper recognizing them in Clallam County.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.
