Watch as police dog finds missing 85-year-old hiker clinging to tree in Colorado ravine

A missing woman has a police dog to thank for her rescue in Colorado.

The 85-year-old, who had gone missing for two hours on Thursday, was found clinging to a tree down a steep ravine, according to the Greenwood Village Police Department. Officers received an afternoon call from a family member who said they could not locate the woman who got lost during a walk.

Body camera footage shared on a Facebook post shows Officer Austin Speer following the K-9's lead as he tracks the woman, who could not be seen from the roadway or canal.

"This is a friendly dog he found you! We're gonna get you home, OK?!" Officer Austin Speer told the woman.

Officer Austin Speer and K-9 Mercuy take a picture with the missing woman they found in Greenwood Village, Colorado on Thursday, May 2, 2024.
Officer Austin Speer and K-9 Mercuy take a picture with the missing woman they found in Greenwood Village, Colorado on Thursday, May 2, 2024.

K-9 trained at finding missing persons

The woman then safely returned to her family, the department said.

The police dog, named Mercury, joined the department a year and a half ago to be trained at tracking missing people. His discovery on Thursday proved that he is skilled at his job, which also includes detecting narcotics, the department said.

Pete Holman, the son of the missing woman thanked Speer and Mercury for their effort to find his mother in the comment section of the Facebook Post.

"I had been searching for her for two hours and Mercury and officer Speer found her in 10 minutes: UNBELIEVABLE! It was like watching a Navy Seal extraction," Holman wrote.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Video shows Colorado K-9 finding missing hiker as she clung to tree

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