TSA Refutes Charges that a 95-Year-Old Woman had to Remove Diaper

Over the weekend, it was reported that a 95-year-old flier was subjected to an extensive pat down that required the removal of her adult diaper at Northwest Florida Regional Airport near Pensacola.

According to the original reports, Jean Weber of Destin, Fla., said she was escorting her mother, who suffers from leukemia, to Michigan on June 18 to live with family members before moving into an assisted living facility.

Weber told CNN that a TSA officer at Northwest Florida Regional Airport near Pensacola, Fla., felt something suspicious on her mother's leg during a patdown. Weber said her mother was taken to a private room. The officer then told Weber that her mother's Depend undergarment was wet and was getting in the way of a complete search. The officer asked for it to be removed, which Weber did in a restroom.

It's something I couldn't imagine happening on American soil, Weber told the Panama City News-Herald Friday. Here is my mother, 95 years old, 105 pounds, barely able to stand, and then this.

TSA and Department of Homeland Security had both defended the search. Yet, in a strange turn of events, TSA issued a statement to MSNBC on Monday saying that no one required the elderly woman to remove her diaper.

The woman's daughter, Jean Weber, replied to MSNBC that her story has not changed.

My choices were to remove the Depends or not have her clear security, Weber said.

TSA has not commented any further on the issue since releasing this statement:

While every person and item must be screened before entering the secure boarding area, TSA works with passengers to resolve security alarms in a respectful and sensitive manner, the federal agency said. We have reviewed the circumstances involving this screening and determined that our officers acted professionally and according to proper procedure.