'Oh, Good Girl!': Bodycam Captures Moment Sheriff K-9 Finds Missing Man

BOLINGBROOK, IL — Will County Sheriff's Office K-9 Lizzy was able to find a missing man with dementia in Bolingbrook on June 18.

The sheriff's office shared that the K-9 unit was called at 11:30 p.m. on June 18 to assist Bolingbrook Police with a missing person case.

Bloodhound Lizzy and her handler responded to a home on Falcon Ridge Way, where a 71-year-old man with dementia was last seen around 6:30 p.m., according to police.

The missing man's Apple Air Tag that he travels with had last pinged around a nearby hotel. K-9 Lizzy and her handler were given a zip-up jacket of the missing man’s to use as a “scent article” and Lizzy went to work, the sheriff's office said.

They went to the hotel and started a "person-trail," the sheriff's office said. After 17 minutes, Lizzy found the man lying in a gravel clearing at the end of a service road.

He was responsive and is expected to be okay, police said.

The Will County Sheriff Office offers free Scent Kits to those who are caring for loved ones with Alzheimer’s, Autism, Dementia or other disabilities who are at-risk of wandering off. Scent Kits are used to collect and preserve (up to 10 years) the at-risk person's unique scent before an incident occurs.

This gives responding K-9s a head start during a missing persons search, according to the sheriff's office. You can email to receive your FREE Scent Kit at jpogose@willcosheriff.org.