DPS K-9 tracks down fugitive after miles-long manhunt in Frio County

AUSTIN A Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) K-9 Tracking Team arrested a man wanted for murder after a miles-long manhunt in rural Frio County earlier this month. The suspect, Naudy Hernandez Perez, 25, had an active warrant for the fatal shooting of a man in Dallas County.

According to a DPS news release, around 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 11, DPS K-9 Bona and her handler, Trooper Landon Rabun (Uvalde), received information from a Medina County Sheriff’s Deputy involved in a vehicle pursuit on I-35. During the pursuit, the driver, identified as Perez, eventually stopped along the interstate in Frio County, fled the vehicle on foot and absconded into the brush.

Working with the Medina County Sheriff’s Office, multiple law enforcement agencies established a security perimeter in the area and provided security cover for DPS’ K-9 Team. Using human odor from Perez’s abandoned vehicle, K-9 Bona and Trooper Rabun tracked Perez through the brush for over two miles. After nearly three hours, they found Perez attempting to conceal himself underneath a thick tree, the release said.

Perez was arrested without incident and transported to the Medina County Jail. He faces charges for murder and evading arrest.

K-9 Bona is a 3-year-old female Belgian Malinois. She joined DPS in 2022. As part of the Texas Highway Patrol, DPS K-9s like Bona play an integral role in interdicting criminals and detecting narcotics and explosives in communities across Texas. K-9 Bona is just one of the department’s more than 70 commissioned K-9s stationed throughout the state.

Watch the video of K-9 Bona tracking the suspect in Frio County, here.