Gary police K9 helps bring missing child home safe

GARY, Ind. - A 12-year-old child with autism who went missing early Sunday morning was found safe with the help of a Gary Police Department K9.

Police responded to a call just after midnight about the missing child and immediately began a search. 

K9 "Fido" and his handler were called in to assist and tracked the child to the grounds of Westside High School.

The child was found unharmed and reunited with his mother.

"… We put the dog out there and it saves manpower hours. Here we could have done a grid search. We could have deployed more officers, searched by hand, but, you know, we take that scent. We present it to the dog. The canine starts its search and it saves a lot of time. And then, you're getting a child back safely, quickly," said Commander Jack Hamady.

Hamady said Fido was called out on two more missing person searches on Sunday. The first search was resolved with a find and the second is still underway in Miller Beach.