Woman with autism lost for 3 weeks found living on subway by her sister, NY family says

A woman with autism who was missing for three weeks was found by her sister riding a New York City subway car, sparking shouts of joy, according to local news reports.

The woman, 47, who is also mute and deaf, first disappeared on Dec. 23 after leaving her family’s home in Queens, according to CBS New York.

Hours later, a paramedic saw her and brought her to a nearby hospital, according to the outlet, but despite “red flags that called for attention,” she was discharged at 2 am on Christmas Eve.

She was released into freezing conditions with a list of homeless shelters, according to the New York Post.

Weeks later, after a search effort was organized, her family members began riding the No. 1 train from beginning to end following a tip that she had been seen on one of the stops, according to PIX11.

Finally, one of her sisters found her on a subway car on Saturday, Jan. 14. “She was wearing slippers and a pair of socks,” her sister said, according to the New York Post, citing a news conference. “And she survived jumping from train to train, looking and hoping that she was going to get home. And we found her.”

“She was so happy,” her sister added, according to PIX11. “She’s really, really skinny, so they took her to the hospital.”

Her family is now requesting answers from the hospital to determine why she was released in the middle of the night with next to no assistance, according to NBC New York.

In a statement released on Jan. 14, a spokesperson for NYC Health and Hospitals said the system “provides high quality care to all its patients,” according to NBC.

This story was originally published January 17, 2023 at 10:48 AM.