Allegheny Co. K-9 Officer Successfully Tracks Missing Dementia Patient

PITTSBURGH, PA — An Allegheny County K9 officer and deputy sheriff successfully located a missing dementia patient who had wandered away from a personal care facility in O'Hara on Wednesday.

According to the Allegheny County Sheriff's Office, K9 Ranger and Deputy Jeff Belback received a request from the O’Hara Township police department to assist in locating the 65-year-old dementia patient who had wandered from the care facility on Hart's Run Road.

Once on scene, Deputy Belback used a blanket from the care facility to allow Ranger to get on scent. Once on scent, Ranger was able to track the missing patient from the Hart’s Run Road location onto Dorseyville Road and then onto Glen David Drive, approximately 2.4 miles from the care facility.

During the track, local police units from O’Hara Township and Indiana Township staged themselves slightly ahead of the tracking path and as Belback and K9 Ranger paused on Glen David Drive to allow traffic that had been stopped during the search to begin flowing again.

Indiana Township Police were able to locate the patient unharmed on a short distance ahead on Fox Hall Drive.