LAPORTE -- An elderly LaPorte woman remains in the hospital after she was trapped inside her home for several days. Police found 87-year-old Wilmetta Spier wedged between two floor joists in the attic.

Sandra Brauer is certainly glad she was home to answer the phone Thursday.

"So two ladies from her group called and they were concerned about her because she never misses," Brauer said.

Spier, Brauer's neighbor and fellow church member, didn't show up to her monthly meeting. The ladies also said they didn't remember seeing her at church last Sunday.

So Brauer first tried calling Spier on the phone, but she never got an answer. So she walked across the street, looked in the windows, and even checked the mailbox. After finding it was completely full, she decided to call police.

"Well, it was a concern because she's an older lady living by herself you don't know what you're going to find when you go in there," said Brauer.

When police arrived, they also grew concerned. They noticed Spier's car was parked in the garage, both attic windows were open, and the light was on. That's when one of the officers borrowed a ladder from a neighbor and climbed in.

"He was able to push the screen in, and in he went. And he was looking around with his flashlight. He didn't see anything at first and all of sudden he hears her speak to him," said Brauer.

The officer found Spier laying on her back, wedged between two floor joists.

"There's not much space in there and there was no way she could have gotten out," said Brauer.

It's still unclear how Spier got trapped in the attic and how long she was there. But Brauer says it shows why keeping a close on the elderly is so important.

"Especially if you're old and living alone and there's no relatives in the area to check on you," said Brauer.

Bauer says Spier broke her arm and suffered from dehydration.