Lost Bradenton Hiker, Dog Rescued From Myakka City Swamplands

A Bradenton man and his dog were rescued after getting lost for several hours Sunday in the swamplands of Edward Chance Reserve in Myakka City, authorities said.

Joseph Lee Brandt, 50, had become disoriented while on a hiking trip and got lost in an area of thick brush and swampland well off the registered trails in the preserve, according to the Manatee County Sheriff's Office.

Brandt called 911 but was unable to provide his specific location, and his cell phone was nearly out of power, a sheriff's office spokesperson said.

Numerous patrol deputies, including one with a bloodhound, as well as the aviation unit and Manatee County Search and Rescue were dispatched to the scene. Deputies used sirens to make contact with Brandt, "who was still lost in the thick swampland and brush," a sheriff's media release said.

The aviation unit eventually spotted him, but due to the terrain, it took several more hours to extricate Brandt and his dog from the swamp.

Brandt was recovered in a dehydrated, exhausted, but otherwise healthy condition, officials said.

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