Woman Disappears from San Francisco Hospital

FIND LYNNE / Facebook(SAN FRANCISCO) — The friends and family of a “lively, feisty” 57-year-old woman are searching for answers after she mysteriously vanished from a San Francisco hospital room eight days ago, a family spokesman said.

Lynne Spalding, of San Francisco, was last seen in her hospital room at San Francisco General Hospital at 10:15 a.m. on Sept. 21. She had been admitted two days before after suffering complications from an infection, and was being checked on every 15 minutes by hospital personnel, Spalding family spokesman David Perry told ABCNews.com.

But when hospital staff went to check on Spalding at 10:30 a.m. on Sept. 21, she was not in her room and could not be found.

Spalding was on medication that caused her to become disoriented, but Perry said it was strange that she could have disappeared when she was on a 15-minute watch.

“We find it disturbing that someone can go missing from the hospital,” he said. “One would think there would be cameras or something.”

Spalding, who hails from Great Britain and speaks with a very heavy accent, has been living in San Francisco for several years, Perry said. She had left her last job selling tour packages and memberships at San Francisco Travel in June, and had previously worked at Joie de Vivre hotels.

“She’s full of life, and has a huge personality,” Perry said.

Spalding is divorced and has two children — a 23-year-old daughter and a 19-year-old son — who are devastated by their mother’s disappearance, Perry said.

Spalding is 5-foot-6, 105 pounds and has brown hair. She is believed to be wearing blue jeans, black boots and a black sweatshirt with the words “San Francisco Pow Wow” embroidered on it, according to a news release. She may also be carrying a large black and white striped bag.

Spalding may have left the hospital with her drivers’ license and $20, Perry said. She left her cell phone behind at the hospital.

Perry said he was concerned that the morning Spalding vanished, it was pouring rain in San Francisco.

“It was like the floodgates opened up,” he said. “She was last seen during the height of that storm.”

A missing persons report has been filed with San Francisco Police Department, which is leading the charge on the search. Anyone with information is asked to call San Francisco Police Dispatch at (415) 553-0123 and reference case #130796086.

Hospital spokeswoman Rachael Kagan could not confirm whether Spalding left the hospital, but said that when hospital personnel checked on the woman at 10:15 a.m. on Sept. 21, she had been in her room.

Fifteen minutes later, she was no longer there.

It was unclear whether any situation like this had happened before at San Francisco General Hospital, Kagan said.

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