A 72-year-old Northwestern University professor has been found and taken to the hospital after being reported missing in the Chicago suburb of Evanston, Illinois.
Nina Kraus, a professor of neurobiology and otolaryngology at the School of Communication, disappeared Monday morning after leaving her home around 9 a.m. for a walk, according to police. She left her phone behind, officials said.
Her family reported her missing after she failed to return, according to the university. The Evanston Police Department, supported by Northwestern University’s police, launched an urgent search.
While not specifically naming Kraus, Evanston PD announced Tuesday morning that they would be flying a drone along the lakefront as part of a missing person investigation.
On Tuesday evening, police said in a Facebook post Kraus had been found in Evanston and taken to a local hospital for treatment.
The Independent has contacted Evanston PD for comment on Kraus’ current condition.
Following Kraus’ disappearance, Northwestern University had asked for the public’s help in locating her.
“The University is hopeful that with the community’s help, we can find Professor Kraus and assure her safety,” the institution said in a Monday news release, which The Independent was directed to on Tuesday when they asked for comment.
Kraus is a distinguished academic, described as a scientist, inventor, amateur musician, and director of the Hugh Knowles Center, who specializes in neurobiology and auditory learning. She holds a PhD from Northwestern and authored the 2022 book Of Sound Mind.
“My research on sound and the brain aims to understand how our life in sound, for better and worse, alters the processing of sound in the brain, makes us us, and affects the world we live in,” her Northwestern bio reads.
