Lake County Sheriff’s K9 Team Tracks, Finds Woman In Danger

LAKE COUNTY, IL — The Lake County Sheriff's Office K9 Team played in instrumental role in finding a woman who reportedly got out of a vehicle Friday during an argument, and went missing. According to the sheriff's office, the K9 team was called to an address in the 200 block of North Route 12, Volo, at 11:20 p.m. Saturday, March 15 to search for a missing endangered adult. According to the sheriff's office, deputies found out that one hour before they were called to the address, a 51-year-old Volo female had been in an argument with a family member, and was in a severe mental crisis.

The sheriff's department said the argument took place in a vehicle from which the woman exited in the area of the 200 block of Route 12, and her family became concerned and called the sheriff's office after she didn't return home.

The sheriff's office said Deputy John Forlenza and his K9 Partner Dax arrived to search and locate the woman, who according to her family was only wearing a sweatshirt, light-weight pants and shoes outside in the night's 37-degree temperatures. However, officials said the family wasn’t able to remember the exact spot the woman exited the vehicle, making tracking her location difficult, but after about two hours of searching, she was found by Deputy Forlenza and Dax.

According to the sheriff's office, the woman was found sleeping outside next to a business in the 31600 block of North Route 12, Lakemoor. Officials said the was confused and appeared to be suffering from the initial stages of hypothermia, and was therefore taken by ambulance to a local hospital for evaluation and treatment.

In a release sent to Patch, Lake County Sheriff John Idleburg said, “With the delay in reporting and initial uncertainty of the path taken by the female, this tracked proved to be extremely difficult – but that certainly didn’t stop Deputy Forlenza and K9 Dax. I have no doubt, if our K9 Team didn’t locate this person, it is likely hypothermia would’ve set-in, which could have resulted in her death. This incident is yet another example of the significant value our Sheriff’s Office K9 Teams provide the community.”

Patch will update this story as information becomes available.