Army veteran found after escaping from hospital

Wednesday, July 27, 2016
Family searching for missing war veteran
Family searching for missing war veteran, Kaitlin McCulley reports.

HUMBLE, TX (KTRK) -- A 26-year-old Army veteran was found in Cypress after escaping from a hospital in Humble.

Shane Zhan was being treated at Memorial Hermann Northeast after attempting suicide. According to the Humble Police Department, Zhan escaped Sunday.

His father, Mark Zahn, tells abc13 that Shane walked from Humble to Cypress and started talking to an elderly pastor. The pastor convinced him to contact his family, according to Mark.

Danielle Ursell is his twin sister. She and the rest of her family were concerned Zhan was a danger to himself. She said he suffers from post traumatic stress disorder and has been reluctant to get help.

Mark Zahn agreed.

"Keeps the problems inside, doesn't want to talk with anybody," Zahn said. "Doesn't want to share his problems with anybody."

Zahn wants to know how his son was able to escape.

"The hospital had a 72-hour hold on him. How did he get out? How do you get out when you're on that kind of watch?" Zahn said. "There was a lady sitting outside the door."

According to the U.S. Army, Zahn was a specialist in the Army from 2010 to 2013. He was deployed to Afghanistan from April 2011 to March 2012.

Texas Equusearch assisted Humble Police Department in the search for Zahn. They passed out fliers across the area.

Ursell had a message for her twin.

"Shane, I love you so much, I'm never gonna give up on you. None of us are giving up on you, come home," Ursell said.

Memorial Hermann released the following statement to Eyewitness News:

The health and safety of our patients are of upmost priority to Memorial Hermann. Due to patient privacy, Memorial Hermann is unable to provide any details.
The Humble Police Department is conducting an investigation and Memorial Hermann is cooperating fully.