North

Police dog finds lost elderly man lying in 2 feet of snow

The RCMP's police dog and its handler located a missing 78-year-old man with dementia lying in a field Friday evening in Whitehorse.

Man with dementia had wandered from family's Whitehorse home

Crash and his handler Cpl. Cam Long, are Yukon's police dog service for tracking suspects and searching for missing persons. On Friday, they located a missing 78-year-old man lying in two feet of snow in a field in Whitehorse. (David Croft/CBC)

The RCMP's police dog and its handler located a missing 78-year-old man lying in two feet of snow Friday evening in Whitehorse.

The man, who has dementia, had been reported missing by his family and was the object of an intensive search.

He had last been seen at about 2 p.m. Friday afternoon and was not at home when family returned at around 5 p.m. It was believed he left the residence wearing a leather jacket and light boots.

The temperature was about -16C. Family and friends began neighbourhood search and then called police.

Whitehorse RCMP, including Police Dog Services, Traffic Services and auxiliary officers began a ground search. 

The police service dog “Crash” and his handler, Cpl. Cam Long, located the man at about 7:30 p.m. lying in a field near a city utility building in about two feet of snow.

The man was taken to Whitehorse General Hospital for treatment of hypothermia and later released.

RCMP say it is common for people with dementia to wander from their homes and that the family did all the right things.