Teens hailed as heroes after helping missing woman

HIGHLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) - They've been best friends and classmates for years and Tuesday they saved a life.

Eighty-one-year-old Patricia Zebda wandered away from her home in Highland Township and fell face down in a ditch along Milford Road.

Although the Oakland County Sherriff's Department, their helicopter and K-9 unit were searching for the Alzheimer's patient, it was the three buddies who accidentally found her after leaving Milford High School.

"She was lying in the dirt, kind of stuck. She looked up and said help me. It broke my heart to see her there," says Kayla Hughes.

She'd been walking with Derrick Hughes on the way to their friend Mike Millsap's house near the deep ditch.

Derrick says, "I tried to pick her up by myself but she said her arm hurt. I told Kayla to go get Mike and we carried her out,"

Mike says, "She told me she was really, really cold so I ran into my house to get a blanket before the police got there."

At school Wednesday they got the star treatment and feel good about being able to save a life.

They haven't had a chance to speak to Miss Zedba yet but say that her daughter thanked them at the scene.

Kayla says, "I appreciate being called a hero and feel proud we did the right thing".