Utah police dog finds missing boy in manhole

UTAH -- A missing 6-year-old Herriman boy who fell down an open manhole Friday was rescued after several hours thanks to a police dog who sniffed his location.

Kollin Bailey, who was 9 to 10 feet down the dry hole, suffered minor injuries but the case could have had a "much more devastating outcome," said Unified Police Department Lt. Justin Hoyal.

The boy had gone to a friend’s house Friday afternoon, but the friend couldn’t play, Hoyal said. When his mother came to get him for dinner, she found out he wasn’t there.

A search began about 5:30 p.m. near 12600 S. 4500 West. About 6:50 p.m., a neighbor found Kollin’s bike abandoned on a walking path that leads to a retention basin, according to Hoyal.
 

  

 

K9 teams from the West Valley City Police Department were called to assist, including Sgt. Shane Matheson and bloodhound Copper. They began their search where the bike was found; UPD officers had kept the area clear of people so the dog could follow the freshest scent there. They hoped it would be the boy’s.

It was. In about 20 minutes, Copper led Matheson to the hole where Kollin was stuck.

"He was pretty relieved he had been found," Matheson said Saturday. "He said he thought he had been down there seven hours."

He said Kollin’s time in the hole probably lasted three to four hours. A UPD officer jumped down the hole and lifted the boy up to other officers.

Unified Fire Authority checked the boy out and released him to his parents, who took him to the nearby Riverton Hospital for another look.

"It was pretty awesome to find him," Matheson said. "It’s extremely rewarding when all your efforts have paid off."

(The Salt Lake Tribune - Dec 06 2014)