An 11-year-old child was safely returned to his home in Flagler County Thursday thanks to the actions of a hero with four paws and a wet nose.
On Thursday, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) was notified that an 11-year-old ran away from home around 6:17 p.m.
FCSO deputies responded to September Place in Palm Coast and began searching for the child after his mother reported he ran out the back door of their home carrying his backpack, a pillow and a red blanket.
Corporal Gimbel and K-9 Holmes, the FCSO’s bloodhound, arrived on scene and collected a pillowcase for a scent article. K-9 Holmes took note of the scent and pursued the trail through the backyard wooded area.
K-9 Holmes located the child hiding underneath his blanket in the woods several streets away from his residence. He was not injured and deputies were able to bring him back to his residence safely.
“This is K-9 Holmes’ second successful track this week and he is quickly proving that he is the right hound for the job,” Sheriff Rick Staly said. “Using K-9 Holmes to find this missing child saved many hours of searching and also saved the taxpayers a lot of money in resources.”
The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office AirOne helicopter assisted in the search.