Woman missing from Reagan National Airport
http://www.wtop.com/120/3311024/Woman-missing-from-Reagan-National-Airport

WASHINGTON - An 83-year-old woman has gone missing after getting off a plane at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

Victoria Kong was last seen on Friday at 6:30 p.m. at the airport. She was walking north along the Mount Vernon trail that heads toward Gravelly Point.

According to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, Kong is Hispanic and originally from Barbados. She is fair-skinned and was last seen wearing a long purple or brown dress with a flower print on it and sandals. Officials say she was also carrying a tan sweater or jacket and a black purse.

Kong is 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighs 130 pounds. She has brown eyes and short black hair.

Kong's granddaughter tells ABC 7 Kong is showing early signs of dementia, and that she was supposed to be escorted off the plane by wheelchair.

Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to call the MWAA police department at 703-417-2400 or Detective Michael Wolfson at 202-615-9898. The case number is 201300952.

See more from ABC 7 below:
http://bcove.me/fszte2zw

Victoria Kong, 83, was last seen Friday evening. (Courtesy of Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority police)
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Not to worry. There are new shipments of women in to Reagan Washington National Airport every day. There is usually a good daily variety of age, size, and color.

The Embassy of Saudi Arabia does not know where she is. Trust us.

Looks like she fell into the Potomac and drowned.

http://www.wjla.com/articles/2013/05/victoria-kong-reported-missing-after-arriving-at-reagan-national-airport--88380.html

sad ending Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Looks like she fell into the Potomac and drowned.
>
>
> http://www.wjla.com/articles/2013/05/victoria-kong
> -reported-missing-after-arriving-at-reagan-nationa
> l-airport--88380.html

So was she a floater or a sinker?

Kong!

I do see a family resemblance. LOL
Attachments:

her body has been found

Quick! Circle the wagons! Announce that it was no one's fault.

"Her family says she was supposed to be escorted off by wheelchair, but airport officials say she never showed up."

Read more: http://www.wjla.com/articles/2013/05/victoria-kong-reported-missing-after-arriving-at-reagan-national-airport--88380.html#ixzz2SY5LvABu

Airline says she never showed up? Uhhh... yeah right. There's only one way off the plane and the wheelchair monkey should have been there waiting for her in the jetway.

so what you are saying is the wheelchair monkey should have been there waiting for Kong?

Any chimpanzee the airline is at fault.

"airport officials say she never showed up." How can they say she never showed up and also claim she is on the surveillance video? Something smells fishy...besides the late Kong.

Wait, she was at the airport and ended up in the Potomac? Did she fall out of the fucking plane?

Was she flying Air Florida with a one-way ticket to the 14th street bridge?

Negroponte Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Wait, she was at the airport and ended up in the
> Potomac? Did she fall out of the fucking plane?
>
> Was she flying Air Florida with a one-way ticket
> to the 14th street bridge?


+1 That's what I was thinking, too...

Barbados is another country. National is a domestic airport. Where was her flight into National actually coming from? I'm guessing Miami and I'll bet a relative screwed up with the information assuming the airline people would adapt. Lesson learned about assuming...

This story is a shame. My guess is she left National on foot and walked up the bike path, died of a heart attack or some other natural cause.

Why someone wasn't there to pick up a woman in her condition is a good question.

idontlikebeingrightaboutshitlikethisbutiam



Edited 21 time(s). Last edit at 5/31/1967 05:57AM by WingNut.

Last edit at 11/30/2015 01:37PM Last edit at 5/14/2015 03:52PM Last edit at 1/28/2014 05:57AM Last edit at 11/29/2015 01:10PM Last edit at 3/14/2011 11:52PM Last edit at 7/20/2012 04:07AM
Last edit at 6/29/2013 11:18PM Last edit at 3/19/2011 01:02PM Last edit at 3/26/2012 09:07PM

Still trying to figure out why the airport claims she never arrived... Obviously she must have stowed away in a wheelwell and fall out over the park when the aircraft lowered the landing gear. This happens all the time. People don't dress warmly enough and bring supplemental oxygen.

stowaway Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Still trying to figure out why the airport claims
> she never arrived... Obviously she must have
> stowed away in a wheelwell and fall out over the
> park when the aircraft lowered the landing gear.
> This happens all the time. People don't dress
> warmly enough and bring supplemental oxygen.

^ This.

She probably recently watched my documentary "Commando" and tried to jump from the landing gear before the plane landed. But being older with brittle bones unlike me, she couldn't handle a fall from 300ft at 250MPH.

Why didn't a family member pick her up at the gate? If my grandmother had dementia and was flying to DC alone, I wouldn't have left her in the hands of the airline.

skyline Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> so what you are saying is the wheelchair monkey
> should have been there waiting for Kong?


If you were a gentle little monkey, would you show up for a meeting with someone named Kong?

Nostradamus Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Why didn't a family member pick her up at the
> gate? If my grandmother had dementia and was
> flying to DC alone, I wouldn't have left her in
> the hands of the airline.

Read the story:

http://www.wjla.com/articles/2013/05/victoria-kong-reported-missing-after-arriving-at-reagan-national-airport--88380.html

She was only showing early signs of dementia and as we all know many old people fake that in order to take advantage of younger folk and get away with minor transgressions and misconduct. Moreover, "airport officials say she never showed up." That is a critical key piece of information, It means she either stowed away in the wheelwell as is often done and fell out during the landing, or she was involved in a smuggling operation and deliberately evaded the airport security so she could meet up with her handlers at Gravelly Point. They evidently robbed her of the contraband she was smuggling and then dumped her body in the woods.

There you have two very obvious explanations for what happened. We shall wait anxiously for what further evidence the police investigation turns up.

It said on the news this morning they found her in the woods, with all her belongings and don't suspect foul play. But...The airport/airline really screwed up missing her off the plane. Geez, and what family lets an 83 year old woman with dementia fly by herself. Crazy!

Buttercups Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It said on the news this morning they found her in
> the woods, with all her belongings and don't
> suspect foul play. But...The airport/airline
> really screwed up missing her off the plane. Geez,
> and what family lets an 83 year old woman with
> dementia fly by herself. Crazy!

if she's the fam matriarch, she's prolly got a hella-huge independent streak...............and if this mind-fuck stuff is all new to the fam?.........whelp, all I'm saying is that I wont judge the fam - it's gotta be hard dealing with that sort of shit

Welcome to "Lackluster Airlines", where you fly then you die, and guess what??? WE DON'T CARE!

Although she successfully evaded the airport authorities, she was seen on video walking from the airport. Hence she was not a wheel-well stowaway and the smuggling theory is the most likely explanation.

She is the perfect mule as who would suspect an 83-year-old grandmother of smuggling? She was known as a generous person who always had gifts for her family. She was coming from Barbados, which is a known hub and transfer point for smuggling cocaine into North America.
http://www.nationnews.com/articles/view/barbados-hub-for-drug-trade/

Obviously the people she was handing off the drugs to killed her and dumped the body in the woods. This crime is so obvious anyone could solve it.

Clouseau Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Although she successfully evaded the airport
> authorities, she was seen on video walking from
> the airport. Hence she was not a wheel-well
> stowaway and the smuggling theory is the most
> likely explanation.
>
> She is the perfect mule as who would suspect an
> 83-year-old grandmother of smuggling? She was
> known as a generous person who always had gifts
> for her family. She was coming from Barbados,
> which is a known hub and transfer point for
> smuggling cocaine into North America.
> http://www.nationnews.com/articles/view/barbados-h
> ub-for-drug-trade/
>
> Obviously the people she was handing off the drugs
> to killed her and dumped the body in the woods.
> This crime is so obvious anyone could solve it.

Aha! A clue!
Attachments:

Victoria Kong's disappearance raises questions
http://www.wjla.com/articles/2013/05/victoria-kong-s-disappearance-raises-questions-88489.html

A Gaithersburg woman’s death is opening a dialogue over the care of aging loved ones who show signs of memory loss.

Victoria Kong's body discovered at Gravelly Point The body of 83-year-old Victoria Kong was found Monday, three days after she arrived on a flight from Barbados and vanished.

Kong's family says they ordered wheelchair assistance from American Airlines for when her flight landed at Reagan National last Friday.

“We expected that she would be escorted from her seat on the plane with assistance to us at baggage claim,” says Alexandria Anderson, Kong’s granddaughter.

But after Kong’s body was found near Gravelly Point, some wondered whether the airline did it job.

“Were they there escorting her?” Sharon Fogarty of Fort Belvoir, Va. asks. “I mean, did she just get off the plane by herself? That was my big question.”

American Airlines tells ABC7 Kong’s family made no mention of any memory or cognitive issues when they requested a wheelchair. Had the airline known this, it said, “Our agents are trained to advise that we do not provide supervision of passengers and a companion is necessary” to ensure safe travel. Her labeled wheelchair was waiting for her, but Kong, who was mobile, walked right by.

“They’re frightened, they’re in unfamiliar surroundings with people they don’t know, afraid to ask, wanting to remain independent and so they walk by,” says Susan Kudla Finn of the Alzheimer’s Association, National Capital Area chapter.

While Kong had not been diagnosed with dementia, experts say as soon as forgetfulness starts to have loved ones tested and enroll them in the National Media Alert/Safe Return program. Airlines will often give a relative a special pass to meet someone directly at the gate.

The cause of Kong’s death is still undetermined, but what happened underscores the need to make sure that any special travel accommodations or needs are clearly understood.

Watch the Video here...
http://bcove.me/sdrnbimb

I'm sure the police investigated the possibility of her being used as a drug mule. If that was the case, more info would have been announced after the autopsy.

While conspiracy theory is always fun, I think this is simply a tragic case of someone with Alzheimer's wandering off and dying.

Family is celebrating right now, believing they've hit the lawsuit jackpot! Of course, no amount of money can ever compensate for their loss (wink, wink).

Family of Victoria Kong mourns death of grandmother who wandered from airport
By Justin Jouvenal and Dana Hedgpeth,
May 09, 2013 12:19 AM EDT
The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/family-of-victoria-kong-mourns-death-of-grandmother-who-wandered-from-airport/2013/05/08/e4f3fc12-b72c-11e2-b94c-b684dda07add_story_1.html

Joy Anderson can’t shake one thought: If she had only turned around, her mother might still be alive.

Victoria Kong, 83, had made the trip to Barbados and back at least 10 times before, but when she walked off American Airlines Flight 1094 last Friday at Reagan National Airport, her mind apparently was fogged by dementia-like confusion.

Authorities say searchers have found the body of 83-year-old Victoria Authorities say searchers have found the body of 83-year-old Victoria Kong, who went missing after arriving at a Washington airport from Barbados., who went missing after arriving at a Washington airport from Barbados.

The Gaithersburg woman strode past the gate at 4 p.m., down an escalator and to the baggage claim area, where Anderson eagerly waited with hair freshly styled for the reunion. She had bought a new cardigan to keep her mother warm.
But Kong didn’t stop. She walked through baggage claim while Anderson was faced in a different direction. By 4:12 p.m., the family said, surveillance video showed Kong leaving through a door, never to return.

The brush was one of an improbable series of missed connections and miscommunications that would set off a massive search for the woman and ultimately lead to her death, huddled in a heavily wooded area just north of the airport in chilly weather.

“I’m devastated,” Anderson said. “I’m just torn to pieces by the stupidity. It could have been avoided. The way she died, no one deserves to die like that.”
Kong’s family said she had been experiencing memory loss and confusion since her husband died last year but had never wandered off before and seemed to be sharp the morning of her flight.

Kong had been in Barbados for two months visiting two of her children. Family said Kong’s son dropped her off at the airport in Barbados for the 7:15 a.m. flight Friday.

“My grandmother repeated back my uncle’s cellphone number to him at the airport,” said Alexandria Anderson, Kong’s granddaughter. “She said she would be fine.”
And she was, at first.

Kong’s family had arranged for wheelchair service with American Airlines, and an agent helped Kong get to her flight. Relatives said they had requested American take Kong directly to and from her seat, but the airline said the family requested only service to the gate — a detail that would later prove tragic.
The first leg of Kong’s journey was uneventful. Anderson said her mother landed in Miami and then boarded Flight 1094 to National with the help of another American Airlines agent. Surveillance footage showed that she was one of the first passengers to deplane at 4 p.m.

Family members said Kong walked past an American Airlines agent sent to escort her by wheelchair to baggage claim. The agent had a small electronic sign with Kong’s name on it, but the family surmises Kong didn’t see it or was confused about who was picking her up.

Downstairs, Joy Anderson had no idea what was going on. She was ecstatic to be getting her mother back. The family had renovated Kong’s room and outfitted her shower with handrails because she was having trouble moving around. A brunch reservation had been made for Mother’s Day.

Family members had also planned to take her to a doctor to be evaluated for her cognitive problems, which they worried were quickly growing worse.

Relatives described Kong as generous and religious. They said she had been orphaned as a child in Guyana and had helped raise some of her siblings. She was a teacher there before moving to the United States, where she became a citizen. She loved to cook.

Meanwhile, Anderson waited inside. Luggage from Flight 1094 snaked around the carousel, and passengers who had requested wheelchair service began to arrive. Anderson grew concerned.

Anderson said that she stopped in an American Airlines office. An agent said that her mother was still at the gate, so she waited some more, she said. She visited a second American office and had her mother paged. She inquired at a ticketing counter. Anderson said that she was falsely told at one point that an agent was with her mother in a bathroom. She called an 800 number for American.

“Please help me find my mom,” Anderson said she pleaded. “I’m screaming mad right now.”

American Airlines officials said that they never told Anderson her mother was in their custody. In a statement Wednesday, the airline said that it responded with “appropriate care and concern to Ms. Kong’s family.”
By 6 p.m., Anderson went to airport police.

In an interview Wednesday, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police Chief Stephen L. Holl said that officers began looking at surveillance tapes and searching the terminals, including the baggage claim area and restrooms.
It would be the start of a three-day, coordinated search by six agencies that employed a helicopter, a boat, volunteers and tracking dogs.

By 4:30 a.m. Saturday, Anderson said, authorities discovered a key clue. A surveillance camera on the outer edge of the airport showed Kong heading north on the Mount Vernon Trail. Holl said searchers swept areas north and south of the airport.

On Sunday, tracking dogs, who had sniffed Kong’s luggage, tracked her scent to part of Roosevelt Island, more than four miles north of the airport. The dogs, Holl said, “found a strong presence of her odor” at the island. A SWAT team combed part of the marshy 88-acre island, a boat plied the water and the helicopter used an infrared sensor to scan for a warm body.

On Monday, two teams searched the island while another worked its way back toward the airport. At about 2 p.m., rescuers found Kong’s body in a grove of trees just north of the airport, near Gravelly Point.

The area where she was found is just off the walking path where it drops off at a steep angle into an area of growth and leaves. It is about 200 yards from the airport property. “If she was lying down in an area of heavy leaves or growth, hundreds of people could have passed by and didn’t see her,” Holl said.
Family members said that Kong was in the long flower-print dress she wore on the flight. She had her purse, and there were no signs of foul play.
U.S. Park Police are waiting for an official cause of death, but relatives said that it appears Kong died of exposure.

Susan Kudla Finn, president of the Alzheimer’s Association’s National Capital Area Chapter, said air travel can be especially difficult for those with dementia.
“This disease is dynamic,” Finn said. “What you see today is not necessarily what you see tomorrow. When you add a new environment, that can be very stressful.”
She recommended that people have an elderly relative with symptoms be evaluated by a doctor before travel. If there are concerns about the person’s ability to navigate a trip, Finn recommended having him or her go with a companion.

The Alzheimer’s Association has a help line that can offer travel tips, and many airlines have programs to help elderly travelers.

Kong’s family is now planning her funeral. On Wednesday, Alexandria Anderson said she still had the cardigan that Kong was to receive when she got off the plane.
“We only anticipated she would be a little slower but would still be Grandma,” Anderson said.


(Associated Press) - This image provided by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority shows an undated image of Victoria Kong, 83
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Your beloved mother had dementia. Wait for her at the gate instead of the stupid luggage claim unless you think missing your luggage is more important than missing your mom.

Stupidity all around but the daughter's is the worst!

She should not have been permitted to travel alone. The family should have more responsibility in this than the airlines but there should have been someone to escort her off the plane and into the wheelchair. Every time I have made a flight reservation over the phone, I have ALWAYS been asked if I will be needing assistance once I'm at the airport/on the flight. If they are not going to actually give you this assistance, it should be made clear that they won't provide this service.

I know there are children who travel alone all the time as well. It's not always feasible for someone to accompany another person on a flight but when you have to let someone travel alone under these circumstances, one would hope that they would do more than just say..."she never claimed her wheelchair".

I don't understand a lot of things about this story- the family is claiming they paid for wheelchair service but the airline is saying it is free and that they called the family to see if she needed help de-planning and were told "no".--if her dementia was that bad, why didn't the family members in Barbados communicate that to the family members in the US? (if it had deteriorated that rapidly over the course of the trip)? ........Also it seems she was wandering around an airport for 2 1/2 hours before going on the trail--and no one noticed that? I'm surprised that no one noticed a woman wandering around looking confused- Regan National is not that big of an airport either. Security officials didn't notice her & offer to assist her? Did her family even try and page her on the intercom system? I don't know why the family wouldn't mention trying that if they had try to page her- the article never states that. They state she spoke with several cab drivers before heading to the trail- I'm curious as to what they spoke about. From the surveillance footage she had her purse over her shoulder and her jacket on her other arm so she had some situational awareness at that point. There are several things about this that don't make sense to me. Such a sad story....

loving the conspiracy theorists on this one!

so what are y'all suggesting? She was set up to die by the fam? Maybe she was a spy for North Korea? WHAT IS IT THAT Y'ALL ARE MISSING HERE!?!?!?

Lady and family are NEW to the world of dementia. This is the most SEVERE result of not knowing what to do and how to handle an older relative with dementia issues. And to act like they are to blame for not knowing how to handle it when you damn well know they are new to the game......................well that's a pretty arrogant attitude to take - they lost their mom I'm PRETTY FUCKING SURE they are feeling bad enough, k?

No conspiracy, just the fact that the daughter called others stupid when in fact it's her stupidity that got her mother killed. She lost their mom by her mistake, blame the airline and we all know what's going to be next. A lawsuit. It's a given since she worried more about her luggage than her mom.

jules Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> She should not have been permitted to travel
> alone. The family should have more responsibility
> in this than the airlines but there should have
> been someone to escort her off the plane and into
> the wheelchair. Every time I have made a flight
> reservation over the phone, I have ALWAYS been
> asked if I will be needing assistance once I'm at
> the airport/on the flight. If they are not going
> to actually give you this assistance, it should be
> made clear that they won't provide this service.
>
> I know there are children who travel alone all the
> time as well. It's not always feasible for someone
> to accompany another person on a flight but when
> you have to let someone travel alone under these
> circumstances, one would hope that they would do
> more than just say..."she never claimed her
> wheelchair".

The family did request wheelchair service. I am friends with her son Cullen and he is heartbroken. He was the best son a mom could ask for. He not only asked for wheelchair service he paid for her to have this and was led to believe that they would escort her to his siblings waiting. He is devastated.

? Why can't the daughter meet her mother at the gate and call others stupid ?

Everyone here is so busy saying what they wouldn't have done without knowing the cirumstances. She got on that plan somehow, right? So, in between the landing and departure from the plane something went terrible wrong. If the airline said they would provide her with a wheelchair escort then I would think they would. So, where's the wheelchair service that was brought and paid for. Now, someone keeps mentioning that you don't pay for that service but, if airlines can charge you for everything under the sun, they can charge you for wheelchair service. So, unless this person knows for sure, you can't say. The sad thing is that a woman was found dead because she didn't make it to where her family was waiting. What happended?????

@blah - I feel ya............but like I said she's new to the game so she's at that stage where she's trusting the PROFESSIONALS to do their job so I can understand her stupidity and her anger. If she paid or requested some sort of escort or service or whatever for her mom, was told that this escort or whatever was going to happen, and this was the result of that? Well maybe a court of law is the best place for that "discussion" is all I'm saying.

you do not pay for wheel chair service or escorts on planes...On the news the family said she had dementia she should not have been flying alone PERIOD.

Gordon Blvd Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> @blah - I feel ya............but like I said she's
> new to the game so she's at that stage where she's
> trusting the PROFESSIONALS to do their job so I
> can understand her stupidity and her anger.

Since when American Airline become a health services/medical company? Fool me, I always thought American Airline is a transportation company. Say, how do their rates for open heart surgery compare to Innova?

they are a transportation company, yes. And they FAILED to bring Grams SAFELY to her final destination, yo.

If they told daughter that they'd do something to help out with grams, and THIS was the result...........................then there's a legit reason for that anger is all I'm saying. It's not heart surgery to look for an old black woman on a plane LoLz

Gordon Blvd Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> they are a transportation company, yes. And they
> FAILED to bring Grams SAFELY to her final
> destination, yo.

I didn't know when you buy airline tickets the final destination is the Luggage area. I always thought it's to the gate. Damn, I need to call them up and demand refunds for all the service paid for but not rendered.

I see besides the anger problem, you have stupidity problem as well.

With your attitude, it's amazing that you survive this long. You can't leave it to the PROFESSIONAL if you care about yourself. I went to 5 orthodontists for my daughter and they offer 5 different treatment method. I had to do my own research and picked out the one that make the most sense. The diets PROFESSIONALs offer you thousands ways of dieting: low carb, the zone, vegans, etc. In fact, it's because of the PROFESSIONAL nutritionists that we have obesity problem. Heck, on every fields, there are always different level of skills, ultimately, it's YOUR OWN RESPONSIBILITY to take care of yourself and your love ones.

nikky Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> you do not pay for wheel chair service or escorts
> on planes...On the news the family said she had
> dementia she should not have been flying alone
> PERIOD.


please update the story- she was found dead. The family took precautions and paid for the service to care for her. The family was there waiting for her. The airlines continue to lie to the family for hours. They need to be held accountable .

sheenaf8 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> please update the story- she was found dead. The
> family took precautions and paid for the service
> to care for her. The family was there waiting for
> her. The airlines continue to lie to the family
> for hours. They need to be held accountable .

The daughter was at the luggage area. She should be at the arrival area. The one should be held accountable is the daughter.

Blah Blah Blah Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> sheenaf8 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > please update the story- she was found dead.
> The
> > family took precautions and paid for the
> service
> > to care for her. The family was there waiting
> for
> > her. The airlines continue to lie to the family
> > for hours. They need to be held accountable .
>
> The daughter was at the luggage area. She should
> be at the arrival area. The one should be held
> accountable is the daughter.

Why would she do that? She PAID the airline to pick up her mother and then bring her to her.

Did you forget... Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> Why would she do that? She PAID the airline to
> pick up her mother and then bring her to her.

Um because it's her mother. Also they did what they said they do. Her mother walked passed the guy waiting for her at the arrival gate.

It's beyond moronic to hear this kind of argument.

Blah Blah Blah Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Did you forget... Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> >
> > Why would she do that? She PAID the airline to
> > pick up her mother and then bring her to her.
>
> Um because it's her mother. Also they did what
> they said they do. Her mother walked passed the
> guy waiting for her at the arrival gate.
>
> It's beyond moronic to hear this kind of argument.

I agree, they knew she was having problems and she should have been there waiting. Why take the chance with your own mother?

The airline is not obligaed to escort her the offer assistance if the can but the are not OBLIGATED her family should have NEVER allowed her to fly alone. My kids have been flying by themselves since the were 8 and 10 and only once has a stewardess ever made sure the got off the plane safely and I ALWAYS ask for assistance when I make their flights.

They are if the family paid for the service. Of course, in the end they failed to tell the airline that she was suffering from the effects of dementia. Very tragic and preventable.

So sorry to hear this. Words will never heal her family's pain. I hope she did not suffer, and may her Ancestors help make her transition (to the Spirit Realm) smooth.

'I'm just torn apart by the stupidity': Heartbreak of daughter of Alzheimer's sufferer who arrived on a flight but died after getting lost as she walked out of the airport and past her daughter who had her back turned.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2321989/Victoria-Kongs-daughter-death-Alzheimers-sufferer-airport-Im-just-torn-apart-stupidity.html#ixzz2SpNrzfbM


~Victoria Kong, 83, last seen on Friday at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
~Family had been waiting to collect her at baggage claim but she ended up walking past them
~CCTV shows daughter was facing the other direct as elderly mother walks out of the airport
~Body was found in woodland 200 yards from airport perimeter

The daughter of an an 83-year-old woman who went missing from Ronald Regan Washington National Airport last week, and whose body was later found in the Potomac River, says if she had turned around her grandmother might still be alive.
'I’m devastated,' Joy Anderson said to the Washington Post. 'I’m just torn to pieces by the stupidity. It could have been avoided. The way she died, no one deserves to die like that.'

Victoria Kong, 83, had made the return trip to Barbados at least 10 times before but when she got off American Airlines Flight 1094 last Friday at Reagan National Airport she was in a state of confusion.

Mrs Kong, who suffers from dementia, walked past an American Airlines representative her family had sent to meet her at the gate as she off the plane, and then walked past her own daughter and granddaughter who were waiting downstairs.

Surveillance video shows Mrs Kong walked through baggage claim while daughter Joy, was facing in a different direction.

By 4:12 p.m., the family said, video showed Kong leaving through a door, never to return.
Searchers, volunteers and Mrs Kong's family spent the weekend combing the area around the airport.

Missed connections: It seems a series of chance errors led to grandmother Victoria Kong walking out of the airport and ultimately to her death
Her body was found on Monday huddled in a heavily wooded area, in a park just up the road from the airport terminal.

Her daughter said Mrs Kong had been showing some early signs of dementia and that they were worried about her safety. She had been experiencing memory loss and confusion since her husband died last year but had never wandered off before.
Kong’s family had arranged for wheelchair service with American Airlines and an agent helped Kong get to her flight.

Relatives have said that they requested for the airline to escort Mrs Kong both to and from her seat, but American said the family only requested service to the gate.

Upon arriving in Washington, Mrs Kong never made contact with the escort from the airline who duty it was to wheel her down to baggage claim.
The family can only assume that she either didn't see the sign or was confused about who was picking her up.

One level below in the arrivals area, her daughter Joy, had no idea what was going on. She was excited to see her mother and had bought her a new cardigan to keep her warm.

The family had recently renovated the house and added handrails in the shower so she could get around easier. Reservations had been made for Mother's Day lunch.
Looking over the surveillance video, authorities said that she was not visibly in distress or disoriented. She is seen talking with people and sitting calmly on a bench.

In the meantime, her daughter was still patiently waiting. Luggage from the flight began to arrive along with other wheelchair passengers.

After a little while longer she began to grow concerned. She had mother paged and even asked at the ticket desk.

Nobody seemed to know anything. One employee told her that Mrs Kong was still by the gate whilst another said that she was in the bathroom.

Ms Anderson called American's 800 number. 'Please help me find my mom,' she begged. 'I’m screaming mad right now.'

An hour and a half later, she approached the airport police.


It marked the start of a three day search for Victoria Kong that involved a boat, dogs, a helicopter, volunteers and CCTV video of several different parts of the airport.
At the weekend, tracking dogs, who had sniffed Kong’s luggage manage to follow her scent to a wooded area about 200 yards from the airport perimeter.
The area where she was found is just off the walking path where it drops off at a steep angle into an area of growth and leaves.
She was still long flower-print dress she wore on the flight. She had her purse, and there were no signs of foul play.
U.S. Park Police are waiting for an official cause of death, but relatives said that it appears Kong died from the chilly weather.
Her family are devastated but are now planning her funeral.
Her granddaughter Alexandria Anderson still has the cardigan she was going to give to her grandma.
Her death has left family members and friends in the United States and Barbados in shock, she said.

'In Barbados, the house is full of people reading the news ... they’re just devastated' Alexandria said.

'We only anticipated she would be a little slower but would still be grandma.'

Ivy Bigbee Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> They are if the family paid for the service. Of
> course, in the end they failed to tell the airline
> that she was suffering from the effects of
> dementia. Very tragic and preventable.


No airline offers service to take care of dementia. The service they offer here is wheel chair service. Wheelchair assistance is NOT dementia service. Nobody offers dementia service.

Blah Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Ivy Bigbee Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > They are if the family paid for the service. Of
> > course, in the end they failed to tell the
> airline
> > that she was suffering from the effects of
> > dementia. Very tragic and preventable.
>
>
> No airline offers service to take care of
> dementia. The service they offer here is wheel
> chair service. Wheelchair assistance is NOT
> dementia service. Nobody offers dementia service.

I wasn't really blaming them, really the family for not telling them she had dementia.

Has the lawsuit been filed yet? Has the daughter started shopping for a new Mercedes to help her deal with the grief?

Cha Ching! Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Has the lawsuit been filed yet? Has the daughter
> started shopping for a new Mercedes to help her
> deal with the grief?

No, but I hear the "Ghost of Common Sense" has been seen walking the halls of that airport.

@MacBeth - ROFLMAO!!!
@Blah - apparently not LoLz
@Blah Blah Blah - hey, like I said - I understand daughter's stupidity cause SHE IS NEW TO THE SCENE. That's all I said. But something I get now that I didnt get before - that yeah, there's no such thing as "dementia care" or whatever I was thinking there was so yeah, I dont think a lawsuit is gonna be in the cards .............at least not a successful one

Gordon Blvd Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> @MacBeth - ROFLMAO!!!
> @Blah - apparently not LoLz
> @Blah Blah Blah - hey, like I said - I understand
> daughter's stupidity cause SHE IS NEW TO THE
> SCENE. That's all I said. But something I get
> now that I didnt get before - that yeah, there's
> no such thing as "dementia care" or whatever I was
> thinking there was so yeah, I dont think a lawsuit
> is gonna be in the cards .............at least not
> a successful one

Rumors are going around that some firms in the DC area have been (or are) contacting the family about the possibilities in filing suit. (Negligence?)

My grandmother sounds similar to this lady - she has a pretty terrible memory and gets confused. She is a lot younger though. There is no way that my family would let her fly internationally unaccompanied. I agree the airline probably could have done more, but the family did very little.

Was this the same family who sent their old pet Corgi out to play on a highway last year, with tragic consequences? What is it with these uncaring people?

Animal Hospital Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Was this the same family who sent their old pet
> Corgi out to play on a highway last year, with
> tragic consequences? What is it with these
> uncaring people?


In fact it seems to be the same family of Corgi killers. Looks like karma caught up with them.

I had really bad problems with Reagan Airport wheelchair service at a time when my Mom was flying in and out to visit several times a year. Its very difficult for her to walk, and she is unsteady, so we always ordered a wheelchair.

I would order it when I booked her ticket, I would confirm it the day of travel, and after a wheelchair didn't show up several times, I started going to the Air Canada counter before her arrival to make sure the agent had ordered a chair.

I did learn to wait at the gate, NEVER at the luggage carousel - that was the family's fatal mistake, unfortunately.

It was never the airline's "problem," - they often told me that the wheelchair service was a separate company. The wheelchair people were horrible, often non-English speakers, and my 87 year old Mom usually couldn't understand what they were saying

I got the run around, they didn't show up, and several times my Mom limped her way out. Or waited an hour. The service is terrible, and the only good that could come out of this poor woman's death is that the airport authority take some responsibility and fix the damn problem.

the familys first mistake was letting her fly alone. it should have sprung for a 2nd ticket.

@adam - maybe Moms was the type of woman who simple would not ALLOW the family to fly with her, someone who wanted to stay independent even in the face of her mental capacity diminishing. Keep in mind they are new to all this crap :(
@McBeth - sigh :(

If old people are that feeble and out of it then maybe they should stay at home instead of running around all over the country.

Folks, unless you have an airline ticket and go through security, you can not meet a party at their gate.

She could have met her mother outside of security by the shops and elevators, but not her mother's gate.

Gordon Blvd Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> @adam - maybe Moms was the type of woman who
> simple would not ALLOW the family to fly with her,

May be she is superman. Any more speculation?

Instead of speculation, let's work with facts: She has dementia, has they told the airline, she would not have been allowed to board unless accompanied by a caretaker.

Joes Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Folks, unless you have an airline ticket and go
> through security, you can not meet a party at
> their gate.

Yes you can if you ask the agents for special pass. You can do that for unaccompanied minors and elders.

> She could have met her mother outside of security
> by the shops and elevators, but not her mother's
> gate.

Yes, nobody can wander around and get lost in the secured area.

Blah Blah Blah Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Joes Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Folks, unless you have an airline ticket and go
> > through security, you can not meet a party at
> > their gate.
>
> Yes you can if you ask the agents for special
> pass. You can do that for unaccompanied minors and
> elders.
>
> > She could have met her mother outside of
> security
> > by the shops and elevators, but not her
> mother's
> > gate.
>
> Yes, nobody can wander around and get lost in the
> secured area.

THANK YOU!

So any news on what happened? Is the family going to sue?