NORTHAMPTON — A Massachusetts State Police K9 unit this week helped find a missing elderly man who wandered away from the assisted-living facility where he lived, authorities said.
Northampton Police requested K9 assistance just before midnight Wednesday to join them in the search for the man who had been missing for about five hours, according to a state police Facebook post. Trooper Sean Kenney and K9 Riggs responded to the scene.
Using a personal belonging, Kenney and his canine companion were able to track the man’s scent to a heavily wooded area near the facility, police said. It was about a mile into the woods when Kenney heard a faint cry for help.
There on the ground, amid heavy brush, was the elderly man — shivering, scratched, bruised and unable to move, police said.
An officer helped cover the man to keep him warm until an emergency crew responded to transport him to an area hospital, police said.
The identity of the man, as well as his condition, were not immediately known.