SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP (WWJ) An elderly Springfield Township man with dementia drowned in a pond after wandering away from his home, sheriffs’ officials said.
The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office said they received a 911 call on Sunday, July 6, around 4 a.m. The caller reported an 86-year-old man with dementia missing.
The missing man—identified as Gerald Vernus Burge—was last seen around 5 p.m. on Saturday, July 5. His girlfriend also reported his swim trunks missing from his home.
According to sheriff’s officials; a deputy and a K9 went to his property on Rattalee Lake Road near Bridge Lake Road. They also searched the pond on the property. Divers with the Oakland County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team recovered Burge’s body in about seven feet of water.
He was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy is scheduled for tomorrow.
His death came less than 12 hours after dive teams pulled a man's body from White Lake.