A Viola woman who had been missing since Monday afternoon has been found alive and safe in East Wichita.
    At 10:30 p.m., Thursday, Joyce Patterson was found at a residence in East Wichita, according to a statement issued by the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Department at around 4:20 this morning.
    Patterson stated she had been abducted Monday from The General Store where she worked and was released by her captor just prior to a call to 911 dispatchers.
    Officals report she appears to be in physically good condition. As is normal procedure, she was taken to a local Wichita hospital for an examination before being interviewed by detectives at the Sheriff’s office.
    The investigation into who took Patterson is on-going, according to officials.
    Patterson says she was held by an unknown white male who is about 6 foot tall and weighs 300 pounds.
    The vehicle he drove is a small gray or blue two door car that is missing the passenger front seat. The suspect left the area of the house after dropping Patterson off, according to reports.
    Local law enforcement had been searching six mile sections of Sedgwick and Sumner Counties — more than 20 miles of land and river total.
    Sheriff and police departments around the State were on the lookout for Patterson, with the Kansas Highway Patrol even stopping drivers near the convience store location.
    Patterson had been last seen by witnesses on Monday, June 23 at 3:15 p.m. at the General Station Country Store in Viola.