GOODYEAR, AZ — A Goodyear neighbor helped locate a missing vulnerable woman, but his good deed cost him his off-road vehicle when it caught fire during the rescue.
Scott Stafford was driving his UTV on a Friday night when he noticed people with flashlights searching the Sedella neighborhood in Goodyear.
The pest control business owner stopped and learned the group was looking for a woman who had left an assisted living facility without her phone.
"My dad was diabetic, so I kind of knew what could happen," Stafford said, noting that he was told that the woman had diabetes and a mental health condition.
Stafford voluntarily joined the search well after sundown. During a search that lasted several evening hours on April 10th, Stafford eventually found the woman sitting by a tree in an unpaved area of the neighborhood.
"I looked over the door, and I said, 'Hey, are you lost?' And she said, 'Yeah,' and then I said, 'Guess what? I found you.' And that’s when my adrenaline went out the window. Like I had drank 13 Red Bulls," Stafford said.
Stafford helped get the woman to the authorities so she could return to her assisted living facility. While reporting on missing people over the years, investigators have told ABC15 the first 48 hours are the most important when someone goes missing, but this woman was found after about five hours.
Just as the woman was able to get to safety with authorities, Stafford turned back to his UTV to discover it had caught fire. It is unclear how the fire started, and he is working with his insurance company to determine coverage.
After Stafford shared the incident on social media, neighbors started a crowdfunding account to help him replace the destroyed UTV. Stafford said any leftover money will be used to provide free pest control services to someone in need.
"It’s free to be nice," Stafford said.
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