Crime & Safety

Updated: Missing Schizophrenic Woman Found Safe

Margaret Villareal, who suffers from schizophrenia with the mental capacity of a 10-year-old, went missing Saturday near border of Morgan Hill.

Update: 3:30 p.m., Sunday, July 22: A 41-year-old schizophrenic woman who was reported missing Saturday from a San Jose care home has been found and is safe, police said Sunday.

Margaret Villareal, who has the mental capacity of a 10-year-old, was found Saturday night in the area of Frazier Lake at about 8:30 p.m., police said.

Villareal, who was not injured, was taken to an Emergency Psychiatric Services facility in Santa Clara County.

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Staff contacted San Jose police to inform them that an unidentified woman had been taken into custody, and officers were able to identify her as Villareal.

Police in San Jose had been asking for the public's help in locating Villareal after she was reported missing from the group-care home Saturday morning at 115 Madrone Ave. in San Jose.

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The Santa Clara County Search and Rescue team searched the area with the help of tracking K-9s and a police helicopter, but were unable to locate Villareal.

According to police, there was a three-hour delay in reporting her disappearance which further hindered the search.

Police say Villareal had difficulty communicating and is unable to care for herself. She has lived at the group home for just two days and may not be familiar with the rural area, which borders Morgan Hill, according to police.

The missing woman has no known family in the area and left on foot in an unknown direction, police said.

Villareal was described as a Hispanic woman who is about 5 feet tall and weighs about 110 to 120 pounds with shoulder-length black hair and brown eyes. She was described as having a large gap in her front teeth walks with a limp and was last seen wearing a maroon colored t-shirt and long khaki pants.

The public was asked to contact the San Jose Police Department's non-emergency number at 408-277-8911, or 408-277-8900.

—By Bay City News Service

 


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