Maryland Cop and K-9 Battle Winter Storm to Find Missing Teen With Autism
A Maryland police officer and his K-9 are being celebrated for successfully finding a missing 15-year-old with autism during a harrowing winter storm.
The Bel Air Police Department explained via a statement shared on social media that the teen, who left his home between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. local time without his family's knowledge, was reported as missing on Sunday, January 25.
At the time, the police also noted, the weather conditions outside were "severe" and the surrounding area was experiencing "an active snowstorm with snow-covered terrain and sub-freezing conditions."
The Bel Air Police Shared Body Cam Footage From The Rescue
Maryland State Police Senior Trooper Taylor Bracken and his bloodhound K-9 partner, Margo, were able to respond to the call that notified authorities the teen was missing. The pair were eventually able to track the teen to "a wooded area" where he'd been for an "extended period."
Bel Air Police Chief Charles Moore spoke to NBC affiliate WBAL about the rescue effort. "There is a tendency for people that [have] autism to want to find a body of water, I guess it's a soothing feeling for them," Moore explained. "There's a stream through [where the teenager was], there's a few ponds also. So, we had a lot of concern that he might be heading toward one of those locations."
The department also shared body cam footage from the rescue that showed the moment Margo and Bracken found the teen. The teen told police he felt "cold" when he was found, and an officer quickly offered his coat.
"The dog seemed pretty sure about the trail they were following," Moore also told WBAL. "This is not an easy feat for those officers, because [it was] about eight inches [of snow] at that point, and they're tripping over logs and rocks."
Bracken gave his own interview to ABC affiliate WMAR and explained just how effective a K-9 partner like Margo can be. “To the untrained eye, it can just look like blank, white canvas, but to a bloodhound, it is a layered archive of different human scent signatures," he said of the weather conditions.
The department made sure to acknowledge Margo's work in its statement. “A special thank you to Maryland State Police Senior Trooper Taylor Bracken and partner K-9 Margo for their outstanding assistance and tracking efforts,” the department said.
They continued: “We also extend our sincere appreciation to the Hartford County Sheriff’s Office, Harford County Department of Emergency Services, and the community members who provided critical information and support.”