Missing 6-year-old with special needs located by K-9
A K-9 assisted police in finding a missing nonverbal 6-year-old child with special needs in the woods of a Delaware state park, according to authorities.
New Castle County Police responded to a call reporting the missing child in Brandywine Creek State Park at 6:48 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 27, a New Castle County Police Department press release stated.
Master Corporal Mary DiGati and her K-9 partner, FiasKo, responded to the scene at the child's possible last known location, according to police. FiasKo was given a known scent of the child, which he immediately picked up and tracked deeper into the woods, police said.
DiGati and FiasKo led the search team to the approximate location of the child, who was found after the team heard a noise in a heavily wooded area of the forest adjacent to a pond, police said.
The child was found at 8:07 p.m. that night, police said.
"I'm incredibly proud of FiasKo," DiGati said in a statement to ABC News. "I trusted his training, stayed focused, and never gave up until he located the child. This is exactly why we train together, and I couldn't be prouder of him."
The child was found muddy, wet and barefoot, but was healthy and was returned safely to his family, according to police.
