Wheeler County, TX — A coordinated effort between the Beckham County Sheriff's Office and the Wheeler County Sheriff's Office led to the safe location of a woman Sunday after concerns for her wellbeing were reported.
According to Beckham County Sheriff Derek Manning, the situation began when Wheeler County authorities contacted Beckham County regarding a woman who had dropped off her child with a friend or relative, expressing concern that the child was not safe with her due to her own mental state.
Wheeler County officials believed the woman may have been traveling eastbound toward Oklahoma and requested assistance. Beckham County dispatchers were then asked to utilize emergency phone ping technology to help locate her.
Manning said the use of phone pings is reserved for situations involving potential risk to life. In this case, dispatchers moved quickly to assist.
“They began doing the phone pings to try to locate her,” Manning said. “There’s a way that we can do that with the phone companies on an emergency basis when we think there’s risk of life. And in this case, absolutely there was.”
The information gathered from the pings helped authorities determine the woman’s location, and she was ultimately found safely in Wheeler County.
Manning praised his dispatch team for their role in the successful outcome, noting their training and ability to act quickly in critical situations.
“I can’t say enough about the work my dispatchers do,” he said. “Great job, and we appreciate their efforts. And I’m sure Wheeler County does.”
No further details about the woman’s condition have been released.
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