As temperatures dropped into the 30s and daylight faded over Dorchester, New Hampshire, dozens of volunteers combed through dense forest and swamp to find a missing two-year-old girl who had vanished from her family’s yard on October 10.
According to The Washington Post, the child disappeared around 3:15 p.m. after the family’s two dogs slipped through a weak point where a wooden fence met a metal one. Sgt. Christopher McKee of New Hampshire Fish and Game said the area was “thick forests and swamps,” making the search extremely difficult.
A Fast, United Response
Within 30 minutes of the 911 call, state troopers, firefighters, and volunteer rescue teams arrived on the scene. “Everybody dropped what they were doing and came over extremely quickly knowing the temperature was dropping,” McKee told The Washington Post.
More than 90 volunteers responded, many of them local residents. “They are all volunteers, doing this all on their own time … the sheer outpouring of support was incredible,” McKee said.
Among those volunteers was Jeremy Corson, a software engineer from Concord who has spent over a decade volunteering with New England K9 Search and Rescue. His partner, Freyja, a 7-year-old German shepherd, is trained and certified to locate missing people. “It’s my 13th year doing this,” Corson said.
A Dog’s Instinct Leads the Way
Corson and Freyja began their search as soon as they arrived. “Time is of the essence with a 2-year-old, both because they’re young and because the more time passes, the more they can travel,” Corson explained.
The thick woods made visibility nearly impossible, and after two hours, volunteers found the girl’s shoes — but not the child. Soon after, the family’s dogs returned home on their own. “Maybe it scared or spooked the dogs,” McKee said, noting that helicopters had just arrived. The returning dogs raised concern: without them, the toddler would be alone in the cold.
Just before 8 p.m. — nearly five hours after she disappeared — Freyja caught the scent of a person. “The dog and the handler are very much a team,” Corson said. “We do the human part of it, figuring out how the wind moves and how to move through the area — and the dog provides the nose.”
Moments later, Corson called out the girl’s name. She answered. “You can’t help but be extremely excited,” he said. “It’s a 2-year-old. It’s a big deal.”
Safe and Sound
Corson found the child about half a mile from her home. She was cold, frightened, and barefoot, but alert. He wrapped her in warm clothes and carried her through the woods to a waiting ambulance.
McKee said the child’s mother was “very happy, very emotional and broke down,” adding that once reunited, the girl immediately said she was ready for “a bath and bedtime.” She was taken to the hospital to be evaluated for possible hypothermia or injury.
“The dogs are just crucial,” McKee said. “Without them, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do.”
Corson later rewarded Freyja with a new ball and plenty of affection. “I’m extremely proud,” he told The Washington Post. “All the work she does is incredible.”
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