K-9 "Ranger" finds missing 14-year-old girl during Friday's windstorm in Allegheny County

A bloodhound with the Allegheny County Sheriff's Office helped track down a missing 14-year-old girl after strong winds on Friday prevented authorities from sending up drones to look for her. 

Around 6:30 p.m. on Friday, the South Fayette Township Police Department was called to look for a teenager who never returned after going to the community playground near her home, a Facebook post from the Friends of the Allegheny County Sheriff K-9 Unit said. 

Authorities said the girl left her home in the area of Boyce Road and Hunting Ridge Trail around 3 p.m., but after family and police checked the area, they couldn't find her. At the time, the Pittsburgh region was under a high wind warning because gusts were forecast to reach up to 60 mph. It was too windy to send up any drones, so K-9 Ranger was called in to help. 

Ranger was deployed from the missing 14-year-old's house. Authorities said Ranger led searchers through the Hunting Ridge housing development, continued through a wooded area, across a creek and into Fairview Park. After following the trail for nearly a mile and a half, authorities said Ranger led them to an area along Fairview Park where the girl was found and safely returned to her family. 

Ranger returned to the force in 2024 after he received treatment for oral melanoma. His resume also includes finding a patient with dementia who wandered away from a care facility and tracking down a bank robbery suspect.