Missing Houston woman found safe in Gonzales County

An elderly Houston woman is back home with her family after being found in the Saturn community area last month, more than 140 miles away.

Georgia Nell Wiltz, 71, had last been seen reportedly on Thursday, Sept. 26 in northwest Houston. The beloved longtime HISD educator of more than 20 years was not reported missing in Harris County by family, however, until the early morning hours of Sept. 30. A silver alert was never issued for Wiltz, but family members reached out through social media for help in finding the woman.

At about 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 30, Gonzales County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a location in the 7100 block of East Texas 97 in the Saturn area after a vehicle was found off the roadway in some brush. They arrived to find the vehicle unoccupied and a quick investigation determined that it belonged to Wiltz. Deputies tried to search the area for Wiltz, but as it started getting dark and there was a very large area to search, they were forced to request additional resources to help them.

The Texas Department of Public Safety responded, along with the Gonzales Fire Department, which set up an incident command and brought in their utility terrain vehicle (UTV) to help with the search. Meanwhile, Texas Parks and Wildlife game wardens brought in a second drone to help deputies, who were already utilizing their own UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle).

The Texas Department of Emergency Management then responded to the scene to offer additional resources and a call was placed to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for two tracking canines, which were sent from the state jail in Travis County.

A lengthy air and ground search ensued and some seven hours after her vehicle was first spotted, Wiltz was founded in a thick wooded area at 2:05 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1, disoriented but alive, alert and speaking with her rescuers. Sheriff’s deputies said they were fortunate to find her where they did and that she did not wander off any further into the woods.

Gonzales EMS then took Wiltz to Gonzales Healthcare Systems to be evaluated and her family was notified that she was safe. She was later released and reunited with her worried loved ones.

Wiltz was the coordinator for the magnet school at Francis Scott Key Middle School near Kashmere Gardens for many years, according to her former students.