K-9 teams return to Raleigh area after rescue efforts turn grim — recovery of 20 bodies in NC mountains

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Three teams with the North Carolina Trooper’s Association K-9 Seach and Recovery are back home after working several days in western North Carolina.

“I’ve never seen anything like this in my life– in my 25 years I’ve been doing it — never,” said Jack Thorpe.

Thorpe is a deputy with the Nash County Sheriff’s Office and director of the N.C. Trooper’s Association K-9 SAR Unit. He and his K-9 named Fiji, a three-year-old long-haired German Shepard, headed to some of the hardest hit areas of Asheville hours following Hurricane Helene.

In 2018, Thorpe said they felt a need to create the nonprofit so that civilians, other than law enforcement, could get involved with K-9 search and rescue efforts.

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After receiving a call from the North Carolina Emergency Management, Thorpe said he headed west. They arrived without access to power, cell service, and running water.

“When we got there, I was just shocked because there was devastation everywhere. You could look 360 degrees, and you couldn’t find an area where we were standing where there wasn’t devastation,” said the Nash County deputy. “Just everything was wiped away.”

Searching on both land and water and working up to 16 hours a day across multiple counties, Thorpe said the unit recovered 20 bodies in 10 days.

“It wasn’t until the drive home when the adrenaline rush from the entire time started to slow down, that it hit me,” said Thorpe.

Thorpe said he wasn’t alone but worked beside two civilian handlers — Annissia Justice of Winston-Salem and Athena Haus of Southern Pines — who both volunteered their time to help.

“I’m a Nash County deputy, I work at the sheriff’s office, I get paid to do this,” said Thorpe. He said both handlers paid their own way to support the effort. “They worked just as hard as I did, if not harder. When I was down, they kept me up. When they were down, I kept them up… Then the next day we went back to work.”

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Thorpe said the dogs are a vital asset and a “force multiplier” in the search and recovery. With a sense of smell 10,000 times stronger than a human, he said K-9 Fiji can often help cut what could be a two-hour search to just minutes.

During the search, Thorpe said a simple stare from his K-9 is often an instant sign that a scent, or someone, has been located. He said the emotional toll can be lasting, but he’s also hopeful their team can offer some families a sense of closure.

Thorpe said another team — Trish Danula and her K-9 “Tuula” — continue to work on site with FEMA, Virginia Task Force 1, and said it’s likely that teams who have returned home will likely go back. He said there are still areas that are inaccessible.

“There are going to be places, I think, over the next few months that unfortunately more bodies will be found. Whether it’s deep in the mud or places that we couldn’t get to, maybe in some cars that were full of mud that haven’t been touched yet, I think the process is going to go on for a while,” Thorpe said.

To help ongoing efforts, people can continue to donate and support the organization through nctak9.org/donations .

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