FORT PIERCE, Fla. — Florida police said a K9 led officers to a 13-year-old boy with autism who was missing for several hours.
A missing boy was safely recovered Monday in Fort Pierce following a coordinated search by local law enforcement.
The teenager was located after an hour-long K9 track led officers to a wooded area alongside a railroad track.
The Fort Pierce Police Department responded to the initial missing child report just after 5 p.m. in the 2700 block of U.S. Highway 1.
After several officers searched the area, investigators located surveillance video showing the boy walking toward a neighborhood.
Port St. Lucie K9 Officer Burdick and K9 Hoot, a bloodhound, were deployed to the scene to track the 13-year-old’s scent.
While the K9 team worked on the ground, the Fort Pierce Police Department Drone Unit searched the area from the air.
The teen was eventually found in the brush of a wooded area alongside a railroad track.
The combined efforts of the ground and air units allowed officers to reach the boy and bring him home safely.
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