Years long search for woman with Alzheimer's ended with a tragic discovery of her remains

Two years after her disappearance, the body of a woman with early-onset Alzheimer's was discovered in a ravine.

In October 2016, 56-year-old Nancy Paulikas vanished during a visit to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

The Manhattan Beach woman was suffering from early-onset Alzheimer's disease, and a wide scale search as launched, but to no avail. Two years after her disappearance, her remains have been found in a ravine in Fossil Ridge Park, reported KTLA.

"I am heartbroken. For two years we have kept hope alive that Nancy would be found safe and could be reunited with her family."

Supervisor Janice Hahn.

BRUSH FIRE REVEALED MISSING WOMAN'S BODY

Kirk Moody, Paulikas' husband, revealed that a charred, incomplete human skull had been found in a ravine in the Sherman Oaks area in 2017.

The body remained unidentified until the Fall of 2018 when some ribs were found on the same site. These were identified by the Coroner's office as belonging to the missing woman.

Nancy Paulikas' cause of death is still under investigation, as are the circumstances surrounding her disappearance.

KILLED BY A BRUSH FIRE?

The Coroner estimated the date of death as March 11, 2017, the recorded date of the brush fire which may have claimed her life, 5 months after her disappearance from the restroom at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

MYSTERY SURROUNDS PAULIKAS' WHEREABOUTS

Where Paulikas was, and how she survived, during the 5 months between her disappearance and her death are a mystery still being investigated by authorities.

At the time of her disappearance, Paulikas wore no jacket and was not carrying a wallet or phone.

Nancy Paulikas' cause of death is still under investigation, as are the circumstances surrounding her disappearance.

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THE AGONY OF AN ALZHEIMER'S DIAGNOSIS

Families have learned to dread the mere suggestion that a loved one may he suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's is a progressive degenerative neurological disorder and it is the leading cause of dementia worldwide. Alzheimer's is characterized by a continuous decline in cognition, behavioral and social skills.

The early signs of the disease are a loss of short-term memory and confusion, and as the disease progresses, the sufferer develops severe memory impairment and lose the ability to carry out everyday tasks, and function normally

There is no effective treatment for Alzheimer's disease, and the disease is usually fatal within 7 to 9 years after diagnosis, as loss of brain function eventually leads to death.

In a related story, an elderly Colorado man with Alzheimer's was found abandoned at Denver Airport by his daughter and his estranged wife.