4 Bloodhound Teams in 4 States Help Find 4 Endangered Missing Persons in 24 Hours
4 Bloodhound Teams in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Texas utilized their scent discriminate K9 trailing skills and advanced scent collection technology to help locate 2 missing persons with Alzheimer’s Disease/dementia and 2 missing persons with autism in a 24-hour period (Aug. 16-17, 2026). All 4 teams have Scent Evidence K9 trained Bloodhounds. Lt. James Vick had just picked up K9 Abbey and completed handler training with us in Tallahassee 2 days prior to his first confirmed trail. 3 of the deployments used The SEKR Scent Evidence Vacuum to collect scent articles prior to deployment. 2 utilized the new SEKR 2 version of the vacuum that was just released. “60% or 3 in 5 people with Alzheimer’s Disease will wander and 50% of children with autism will wander. The amazing trailing work by these K9 teams is having a profound impact on their communities. They are saving lives and bringing the lost home,” stated Scent Evidence K9 CEO Paul Coley. Here are the stories of their searches.
North Carolina Bloodhound K9 Honey Locates Missing Endangered 74-Year-Old.
Master Deputy Glen Pedersen of New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office and his Bloodhound partner K9 Honey responded to help locate a missing 74-year-old man who wandered from his home on a bike. The man had been missing for over 2 hours. MD Pedersen used the new SEKR 2 Scent Evidence Vacuum to collect a scent article form the missing person’s shoes and presented the Scent Vial to K9 Honey, a scent discriminate trailing Bloodhound. K9 Honey picked up the trail and followed the scent down several streets and made several turns. The North Carolina Bloodhound Team crossed an intersection and observed a man riding towards them on a bike. MD Pedersen asked him to stop, and K9 Honey sat to indicate the identification of the target she was looking for. The trail was 1.5 miles in length and K9 Honey was rewarded for her hard work!
“MD Pedersen and K9 Honey continue to use their advanced scent discriminate trailing skills and scent collection technology to locate the missing and bring them home safe. We are proud to work and train with this team.” stated Scent Evidence K9 CEO Paul Coley.
This is the 21st confirmed trail by SEK9 Master Handler Glen Pedersen and K9 Honey! Great Trail MD Pedersen and K9 Honey and thanks to the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office for their commitment to creating a safer community. To learn more about The SEKR 2 Scent Evidence Vacuum Click HERE
New Grady County Sheriff’s Office Bloodhound Team Helps Locate Youth with Autism to Get First Confirmed Trail!
Lt. James Vick and K9 Abbey had been home in Georgia for only 2 days after completing their scent discriminate training with Scent Evidence K9 in Tallahassee when they were called out to respond to help locate a missing youth with autism. Lt. Vick is one of the first K9 handlers in the country to utilize The SEKR 2, a brand-new version of the innovative SEK9 Scent Evidence Vacuum, to collect a scent article. Vick collected a scent article from the headliner of the family vehicle and used his scent discriminate training to dismiss the family members and deploy K9 Abbey. Abbey is a 10-month-old Bloodhound and this was her very first case. K9 Abbey hit the trail and followed the scent for almost a half mile to a gas station pump and sat to alert at the pump. Video from the gas station confirmed that the missing youth had been picked up at that location. The youth was later returned home safe by the person that picked them up.
“Lt. Vick and K9 Abbey are going to be a productive and vital search resource for their community. They certainly hit the ground running and are already having a positive impact,” stated Scent Evidence K9 CEO Paul Coley.
Congrats on your first trail Lt. Vick and K9 Abbey and thanks to Grady County Sheriff’s Office for their commitment to creating a safer community.
Grady County Sheriff’s Office has also started their Bringing The Lost Home Scent Kit program to help protect those at risk of wandering in their community. Click HERE the WCTV News story.
K9 Skye and Blue SAR Help Locate Missing Endangered Person with Autism!
Blue SAR’s K9 search handler Erin McClatchy and Angelina Farris responded on 8/17/26 with K9 Skye to help locate an endangered young adult with autism spectrum disorder and other critical vulnerabilities that had been missing for 4 hours. The Blue SAR Search and Rescue Team utilized The SEKR Scent Evidence Vacuum on the missing person’s pajamas to collect a scent article and deployed K9 Skye from the residence. K9 Skye, a scent discriminate Bloodhound who turned 1 year old in July, trailed approximately 1 mile across multiple intersections in 100-degree temps to a bus stop and alerted. Video confirmed his presence at the bus stop and the search then focused on bus stops and terminals. The Blue SAR team drove to the downtown terminal and located the missing person.
“The Blue SAR Team are doing a great job since completing their training with Scent Evidence K9 and returning to Texas with K9 Skye in April. They are using their scent discriminate trailing skills and scent collection technology to help locate those who are at high risk of wandering. They are a valuable search resource for their community,” stated Scent Evidence K9 CEO Paul Coley.
Great Trail, Great Search, and Great Rescue Blue SAR and K9 Skye!
Kissimmee PD Bloodhound Team Helps Locate Missing Man Who Wandered
Ofc. Andrew Cason and K9 Belle responded to help locate a missing man with dementia who wandered on 8/16/26. He had been missing for 5 hours. Ofc. Cason collected a scent article and deployed K9 Belle. Belle trailed with her nose down, her tail straight and still, pulling hard out of the neighborhood. The Kissimmee Bloodhound Team continued to the main road and along a busy road for approximately 1 mile. Osceola County Aviation observed a male matching the description just ahead of K9 Belle’s direction of travel. Deputies made contact with the man as K9 Belle continued to trail towards the target. Upon reaching the man, K9 Belle sat and indicated that she had located the target. The trail was 1.5 miles in length. K9 Belle was rewarded with a toy and praise! This is the 10th Find for the Kissimmee Bloodhound Team.
“Ofc. Cason and K9 Belle used their scent discriminate trailing skills to help place search resources in the right area for a quick recovery,” stated Scent Evidence K9 CEO Paul Coley.
K9 Belle was donated to Kissimmee Police Dept. by our Florida Bringing The Lost Home Program partner, Senior Resource Alliance in Orlando to increase available search resources in the area for missing persons and those with Alzheimer’s Disease and autism who are at high risk of wandering.
Great trail Ofc. Cason and K9 Belle and thanks to Kissimmee PD and Senior Resource Alliance – SRA Florida for their commitment to creating a safer community.
