Bodycam: Ariz. Deputies Use K-9 to Find Autistic Boy Lost in Desert
After a non-verbal autistic 5-year-old boy wandered into the desert in Buckeye, a Maricopa County Sheriff's Office K-9 tracked the child over two miles to locate him.
Maricopa County sheriff's deputies used a K-9 to track and rescue a missing non-verbal autistic 5-year-old boy who had wandered into the desert with his dog last month.
Deputies used the child’s socks and a car seat to provide a scent for the K-9 to track for about two miles.
The child and dog were found safe and reunited with family.
Arizona deputies found and rescued a missing 5-year-old boy thanks to the help of a K-9 after the non-verbal autistic child wandered into the desert with his dog last month.
The rescue happened June 22 when Maricopa County sheriff's deputies responded to a report of a missing boy who had chased his dog into the desert in Buckeye that night, KSAZ-TV reports. Piper, an agency K-9, was called in, and deputies used a pair of socks and a car seat to help get the child's scent.
"So this track in particular was about two miles, so she tracked for about 45 minutes," said Deputy Stephen Lopez during a news conference. "From the time the call got kicked out to the time that we located him was right around three hours."
Once the boy and the dog were safely found, they were reunited with the child's mother. Agency officials said that tracking people in Arizona presents challenges because the heat can burn off scents faster.
"Thanks to the quick response and dedication of our deputies, the boy was found safe with his loyal dog by his side and reunited with his relieved family," the sheriff's office stated with the video footage of the rescue. "We’re grateful for this positive outcome and the teamwork that made it possible."
Joining Endeavor Business Media in 2018, Joe has worked on the company's city services publications. He began working at OFFICER.com as the assistant editor. Before starting at Endeavor, Joe had worked for a variety of print and online news outlets, including the Indianapolis Star, the South Bend Tribune, Reddit and Patch.com.
