Fatal Crash Victim's Dog Found, Reunited With Family
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A Butler County family has been reunited with their little dog after two weeks of searching for the beloved pet that ran away from the scene of a crash that claimed the life of her owner.
Baby disappeared on Easter Sunday after her owner, 79-year-old Elmer Goettel, died in an accident on Interstate 79 near Zelienople. His truck spun out of control as he was heading south on I-79.
Since then, Carolyn Goettel, Elmer's widow, and her family have been trying to locate Baby.
"He was on his way home to be with his family for Easter, and unfortunately, did not make it home," said Fran Zuke, Elmer's daughter-in-law. "The paramedics and the firemen, from what we were told by state police, they did see a dog running up the highway."
News came Sunday afternoon, two weeks after the fatal crash, that Baby had been found.
The family says they were actually out searching through fields with volunteers when the 6-year-old Chihuahua was found.
When we spoke with Elmer's daughter-in-law just after the accident, they were hoping that finding Baby would bring at least a small amount of comfort.
"It's been very hard. We're still having a difficult time dealing with it," she said. "We're hoping that somebody finds the dog because it might bring just a little bit of relief back to the family, even though we're missing our day."
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