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THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

HAMILTON TOWNSHIP: An 81-year-old man,

recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease,

apparently died after getting lost in the woods a

mere five miles from his home, police said.

Retired state police Capt. Gordon Hector was heard

from on June 15, when his wife called him on his cell

phone and he told her he was lost in the woods near

water, according to Hamilton Township police.

Hector's body was spotted Friday in 5-foot-tall

grass by a police helicopter hovering above a wooded

area in the Cornell Heights section of the Mercer

County township.

Medical examiners were still trying to determine

the cause of his death.

Hector's son, Chuck, told The Times of Trenton for

Saturday newspapers that the family suspects he died

the first night he left home.

""That is a relief to us rather than the other

possibility that he was out for four or five days,''

Chuck Hector said. ""He knew he had Alzheimer's. He

was facing it and it's a very difficult affliction to

live with. He was a great guy and a great friend of

mine and in one sense we are somewhat comforted in a

strange way that he doesn't have to deal with the

problems he was facing.''

The recovery of Hector's body came after an

exhaustive two-week search by multiple state and

local police agencies.

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http://www.thnt.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20070630&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=70... 6/30/2007