diff --git a/libinterp/corefcn/find.cc b/libinterp/corefcn/find.cc
--- a/libinterp/corefcn/find.cc
+++ b/libinterp/corefcn/find.cc
@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@
   {
     ffind_result<nargout, typename M::element_type> resvec;
     dir_handler<dir> dirc;
-    find_to_R (dirc, v, n_to_find, resvec);
+    resvec = find_to_R<dir, M, ffind_result<nargout, typename M::element_type> > (dirc, v, n_to_find);
 
     return resvec.get_list ();
   }
diff --git a/liboctave/util/find.h b/liboctave/util/find.h
--- a/liboctave/util/find.h
+++ b/liboctave/util/find.h
@@ -59,9 +59,8 @@
   // nuanced and unintuitive (but Matlab compatible).
 
   template<direction dir, typename MT, typename R>
-  void
-  find_to_R (dir_handler<dir> dirc, const MT& v, octave_idx_type n_to_find,
-             R& resvec)
+  R
+  find_to_R (dir_handler<dir> dirc, const MT& v, octave_idx_type n_to_find)
   {
     typedef typename MT::iter_type iter_t;
 
@@ -95,7 +94,7 @@
       res_dims = dim_vector (numres, 1);
 
     iter_t iterator (v);
-    resvec = R (res_dims);
+    R resvec (res_dims);
     octave_idx_type count = dirc.begin (numres);
 
     for (iterator.begin (dirc);
@@ -104,6 +103,8 @@
       {
         resvec.add (count, iterator);
       }
+
+    return resvec;
   }
 
   // The method call used for internal liboctave calls to find.  It constructs
@@ -119,19 +120,26 @@
             FORWARD)
   {
     find_result resvec;
+
     switch (dir)
       {
       case FORWARD:
-        dir_handler<FORWARD> dirc_forward;
-        find_to_R (dirc_forward, v, n_to_find, resvec);
+        {
+          dir_handler<FORWARD> dirc_forward;
+          resvec = find_to_R<FORWARD, Array<ELT_T>, find_result> (dirc_forward, v, n_to_find);
+        }
         break;
+
       case BACKWARD:
-        dir_handler<BACKWARD> dirc_back;
-        find_to_R (dirc_back, v, n_to_find, resvec);
+        {
+          dir_handler<BACKWARD> dirc_back;
+          resvec = find_to_R<BACKWARD, Array<ELT_T>, find_result> (dirc_back, v, n_to_find);
+        }
         break;
+
       default:
-        liboctave_fatal (
-          "find: unknown direction: %d; must be FORWARD or BACKWARD", dir);
+        liboctave_fatal ("find: unknown direction: %d; must be FORWARD or BACKWARD", dir);
+        break;
       }
 
     return resvec.res;