Searchers find missing woman, dog alive in freezing temps in east-central Minnesota woods
PINE COUNTY, Minn. — A woman who went on a solo search for her missing dog in sub-zero windchill Sunday afternoon did not return safely that evening; both were found Monday afternoon by Pine County Sheriff's Search and Rescue team, the sheriff's office said.
Deputies and the woman's family members searched throughout Sunday night.
At 6:30 a.m. Monday, the search and rescue team joined the effort.
Their newly trained human trackers discovered a signature print in the woods and kept looking for the woman over a mile-and-a-half from the initial print.
A neighbor who joined the search found the woman and dog near the last print at 1:52 p.m. Monday.
The 41-year-old woman and her dog were both treated for cold exposure in the woods.
On Monday 12/18/2023 at 06:30am Pine County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue responded to search for a 41-year-old female...
Posted by Pine County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday, December 19, 2023
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Then they were reunited with their family.
The team initiated simultaneous searches on frozen Lake Alma, an air search with the Minnesota State Patrol Flight Section, as well as a land search.
It is unclear how long the dog was stranded alone before the woman began her own search.
The human trackers were trained in the spring with assistance from the St. Louis County Rescue Squad via Universal Tracking Services Inc.