Washington state deputies may never have found a missing hiker if it wasn’t for his loyal dog.
The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department set out to find a 64-year-old man at daybreak Thursday after his wife called and reported that her husband, his car and their dog, Daisy, were missing from their home in the Eatonville area, authorities said.
Posted by Pierce County Sheriff's Department on Friday, April 26, 2019
The man had gone hiking Wednesday, but did not return by nightfall, The News Tribune in Tacoma reported.
“The missing man reportedly often went hiking with his dog, but did not leave a note where he was going and had failed to return home after dark,” the sheriff’s department said. “The man’s wife reported finding recent internet searches by her husband for geocaching in the Evans Creek area.”
Authorities searched the area, but had no luck.
Posted by Pierce County Sheriff's Department on Friday, April 26, 2019
By 4:45 p.m., they had found his vehicle, which had a list of geocache locations that the team mapped out and set out to look through.
It wasn’t until nearly 6 p.m. when a deputy searching through one of the locations was startled by the sound of barking.
“The deputy continued hiking toward the sound of the dog’s barking, and spotted a dog matching the description of Daisy up a very steep embankment above the Marshall River,” the sheriff’s department said.
Posted by Pierce County Sheriff's Department on Friday, April 26, 2019
The deputy climbed another 30 minutes through thick woods until he reached the dog, who was by his owner.
The man was deceased from what appeared to be injuries from a fall, the sheriff’s department said. It did not identify him.
Posted by Pierce County Sheriff's Department on Friday, April 26, 2019
“This was a very sad end to a tough search, but we are incredibly proud of our deputies and the volunteers efforts to find the missing man and return him to his family,” the department said.
“Without the barking of his loyal companion Daisy, we never would have located the missing man.”
All day yesterday our deputies & Search & Rescue Teams were out searching for a missing hiker near Eatonville. While this story has a sad ending, the love & loyalty of the missing man’s dog Daisy will amaze you. We never would have found him w/o her help: https://t.co/OuORgqx0dw pic.twitter.com/9GMkhd7444
— Pierce Co Sheriff (@PierceSheriff) April 26, 2019
