A Three Rivers Police Department (TRPD) K9 tracking dog named Jake successfully located a missing woman Monday evening after she wandered away from the Bentwater Apartments complex. Just prior to 7 p.m., the TRPD K9 unit was dispatched to the complex to search for the 80-year-old woman, who has dementia.

K9 Jake tracked the woman across a field and through a neighborhood for approximately one mile before locating her in the parking lot of Harding’s Super Market on West Michigan Avenue. Just prior to TRPD’s arrival, the woman had fallen, and she was treated and transported by Three Rivers Fire Department (TRFD). TRFD also assisted in other aspects of the search.

While the search was ongoing, numerous residents assisted in canvassing the area by car. In a press release, TRPD said it “would like to thank the good Samaritans of the area for working together.”

Dave Vago is a writer and columnist for Watershed Voice. A Philadelphia native with roots in Three Rivers, Vago is a planning consultant to history and community development organizations and is the former Executive Director of the Three Rivers DDA/Main Street program.