Michigan State Police K9 team rescues 81-year-old woman lost in woods for 20 hours

(SAGINAW) A Michigan State Police trooper and his K9 are being hailed heroes for finding an 81-year-old missing woman after she was lost in the woods for nearly a day.

In a statement on X , State Police Third District said their troopers were dispatched to a home in Richland Township, about 17 miles west of Saginaw, on Tuesday (7/2) for a missing woman. A family member told police they had last seen her the night before around 10 p.m., and that she used a cane.

Troopers found an Amigo in the garage with the woman’s coat, purse and cellphone inside, State Police said.

MSP K9 Team Trooper Whited, and his partner Loki, were called to assist with the search. Loki started tracking the woods behind her house, and found a pair of gloves and a walking cane leading “into a steep ravine,” according to State Police.

“A short distance later, Loki located the elderly woman at the base of the ravine, unable to move,” State Police said in the statement.

Ogemaw County EMS and Richland Township Fire rescue workers helped troopers carry her out of the woods as a “heavy rainstorm rolled in,” they said.

After interviewing the woman, they learned she had been lost in the woods for about 20 hours.