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Utah police dog locates ‘missing’ child in a matter of seconds

(Photo courtesy West Jordan Police Department) Talon, West Jordan Police officer Tom Smith and Beau — the dog who quickly found the not-so-missing boy.

A West Jordan police dog quickly located a “missing” boy — who wasn’t as lost as his family believed.

The department received a “frantic” call from the mother of the child earlier this month, according to a Facebook post. The family was visiting from out of town and young Talon was supposed to be in a basement sleeping with several other children, but when his mom couldn’t find him about 11:30 p.m. she contacted police.

Family members searched the house without success. Officers arrived and searched the house, garage and yard, and then began to fan out into the neighborhood.

Then Officer Tom Smith and his search and rescue dog, Beau, arrived.

Beau sniffed Talon’s sleeping bag, then immediately went to a second bag nearby, where Talon’s sister had been sleeping. The dog “started nudging it” and officers “noticed there was a lump in the bottom of the bag.”

They unzipped it and, lo and behold, Talon was there, fast asleep. Both family members and the human police officers had previously overlooked him.

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