Arizona Boy Spots A Lost Woman With Dementia Wandering in the Heat and Quickly Acts to Save Her Life

Fourteen-year-old Royal Cothrun wasn’t looking to be a hero when he went for a bike ride in Gilbert, Arizona but that’s exactly what he became.

As temperatures soared over 103°F (39°C), Royal spotted 75-year-old Teresa Morgan walking alone along a roadside. She looked confused, overheated, and lost. Instead of riding past, he stopped to ask if she was okay. Royal told ABC 15 Arizona, “[S]he just looked like something was wrong, so I started talking to her,” he said.

Royal guided Teresa into the shade, stayed by her side, and patiently talked with her until she was able to remember her son’s phone number. He called him immediately, and Teresa’s family and paramedics soon arrived.

Her family later revealed that Teresa had recently been diagnosed with dementia and had wandered miles from home after going grocery shopping.

“It’s incredible, really, what he did,” her son, Jeff Morgan, said. “Just so lucky, so fortunate that he ran across her and he cared enough to stay with her and to take care of her.”

Royal’s quick thinking and compassion likely saved Teresa’s life. He has since been recognized by local first responders and community leaders, but his mother says she wasn’t surprised by what he did. “He was calm, he was compassionate,” she said.