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Published on Friday, May 21, 2004
in the Florida Today
A frantic search, set off by a lost 93-year-old woman's cellular phone call, ended tragically on Thursday when Florida Highway Patrol troopers found her dead in her car. Grace Scafati. Image from WKMG Local 6 News.
Troopers located Grace Scafati about 25 miles from her West Melbourne home on a sandy road about 10 miles south of U.S. 192 near U.S. 441 in Osceola County, said Sgt. Channing Taylor of the Florida Highway Patrol.
Taylor said the woman left her home, just blocks south of U.S. 192 near the Melbourne Square Mall, about 8:30 a.m. and possibly became disoriented.
About 11 a.m., she called 911 to say she was lost and her car was stuck in soft sand.
Her phone's battery gave out after 20 minutes on the line.
With little to go on, about 25 troopers fanned out in a desperate hunt to find her. The Brevard County Sheriff's Office helicopter unit helped from the air.
"We were able to track her down, because now we have an enhanced 911 that can track a signal to the nearest tower," Taylor said, adding investigators said she could have experienced a diabetic attack.
Her 1992 Chevrolet Cavalier was found about 5:30 p.m., not running and stuck in the sand.
At least one Highway Patrol cruiser also got stuck as it approached.
"We don't know if she turned it off, or if it conked out," Taylor said. "Wish we could have found her."
Osceola County Medical Examiner's Officer will perform an autopsy on Scafati today.
Officials told FLORIDA TODAY news partner WKMG Local 6 News that the windows were rolled up when she was found, leading to speculation that high temperatures inside the car may have led to her death. Thursday was one of the hottest days of the spring with inland temperatures reaching 90 degrees in Central Florida.