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Woman Makes Desperate Plea To Find Her Missing Mother

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FT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) - A North Lauderdale woman is asking for the public's help in finding her missing mother.

Bernice Harris, 75, was last seen Thursday morning at her family's home at 8201 S.W. 19 Street in North Lauderdale.

"It hurts inside, not knowing where she is," her daughter, Dernetta Harris-Robinson, said. "Praying that nobody hurts her, that's the thing."

Harris-Robinson says she flew up north earlier this week after her mother left her New Jersey home and was found living in a shelter in Baltimore.

Harris has dementia, is bipolar and schizophrenic, but Harris-Robinson says she is still legally able to live on her own. She also said her mother has up and left many times in the past few years.

"She's not competent to live on her own. She has to hurt herself or hurt somebody for them to commit her. That's inappropriate," she said.

Harris-Robinson says she left her house on Thursday for a couple of hours to work on finding a secure facility to place her mom.

It was during that short window her that her mother packed a large suitcase and left, first walking to homes in the neighborhood asking for a ride to the airport.

She then vanished hen walking to the end of SW 19 Street and North Lauderdale Avenue.

Harris-Robinson says her mom may appear lucid, but may also be combative.

"She may be friendly, but she's not fully there and she's 75 years old. It's not getting better. It's getting progressively worse," she said.

Like anyone in her situation, Harris-Robinson is desperate to find her mom.

She's scared and hopes someone knows where she is.

She'd also like to see it become easier for children to become legal guardians of their elderly, ill parents to care for them.

"I just wish they would change the law so people like me would have a leg to stand on so we could help our parents," she said.

Harris-Robinson checked with the airlines and cab companies and no one has seen her.

Anyone who may have seen her or knows her whereabouts is urged to call Regional Communications at (954) 764-HELP (4357).

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