A 14-year-old Harrison County teen that went missing most of the day Monday was located some eight hours later thanks to the aid of the Sheriff’s Department K-9 unit.

Deputies were notified on October 1, 2012 at approximately 2:30 PM of a missing autistic child on Roosevelt Taylor Rd. Deputies responded and were advised that the child was last seen by his mother at approximately 8:00 AM.

The parents advised that their 14 year old son was last seen in his bedroom. Due to the proximity to I-20 and the heavily wooded area surrounding the residence, deputies began a search on foot and by car utilizing the PA systems of the patrol vehicles. Sgt. Best and his K-9 partner, Bruce, were called to the residence and began a search after getting a scent sample of the boys clothing.

At approximately 4:30 PM, Sgt. Best and Bruce located a scent track and located the child deep into the wooded area by the residence. The child was unharmed, but hungry, and was returned home by Sgt. Best.

Sgt. Best has extensive training in tracking and utilizing his K-9 partner’s abilities for drug detection and tracking of human scents. Lt. Brian Hill remarked that without the use of Bruce, it would have taken a much longer time to locate the child.

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