Game warden K9 team find missing 11-year-old

Game Warden K9 Koda and Game Warden Jake Voter with an 11-year-old St. Albans girl who had been missing ((MDIFW photo)

ST. ALBANS, Maine - Game Warden K9 Koda and Game Warden Jake Voter rescued a missing 11-year-old girl who had wandered away from her residence on Friday.

Game Wardens were called in to assist in searching for the missing 11-year-old on the Square Road in St. Albans around 10:15 a.m. The young girl had gone missing at around 9 a.m., and after her family searched around the home for her unsuccessfully, they called 911 for help in locating her. Somerset County Sheriff's Office arrived first, and quickly requested K9 assistance from the Maine State Police and Maine Warden Service.

Warden K9 Koda and Voter were assigned to search a large, forested area located behind the house. After searching the woods for around 45 minutes, Koda picked up a scent, and moved swiftly towards a boggy area near a stream. She then started barking, alerting Warden Voter she had found something.

Upon getting closer, Voter found the 11-year-old hiding in the tall grass near a stream in a wet, boggy area. She was located just a little before noontime, two thirds of a mile from her house. She was tired and cold, but otherwise healthy. Voter picked her up and gave her a piggy-back ride where she was reunited with her awaiting family.

Assisting the Maine Warden Service in the search was the Somerset County Sheriff's Office, Maine State Police, The Maine Forest Service and the St. Albans Fire Department.