Incredible moment hero police dog hunts out missing 96-year-old in dense forest

Police body camera footage captured the moment a heroic K-9 sniffed out and located a missing 96-year-old man.

On Saturday, a Florida man named Ray Cornett was reported missing to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. Police described Cornett as an ‘endangered person.’

A search party consisting of ‘multiple specialty units’ was dispatched in the Lutz area, which is just north of Tampa.

One of those units was an officer with his trusty K-9, Boomer. The dog appears to be a bloodhound, which is a breed that specializes in tracking.

The officer’s body camera recorded him taking Boomer out of the backseat of his patrol vehicle and leashing him as he affectionately said, ‘Hey Booms.’

The officer could then be seen placing an item belonging to the missing elderly man that held his scent in front of the police dog’s nose.

‘Find him!’ the officer said before Boomer took off.

The video then cuts to the officer and police dog searching a lakeside before entering an area dense with trees and foliage.

Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office body camera footage captured this K-9, Boomer, tracking and finding a missing 96-year-old man named Ray Cornett
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Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office body camera footage captured this K-9, Boomer, tracking and finding a missing 96-year-old man named Ray Cornett

In the video, Boomer's handler could be seen placing an item belonging to Cornett that had his scent in front of the K-9's nose
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In the video, Boomer’s handler could be seen placing an item belonging to Cornett that had his scent in front of the K-9’s nose

Boomer quickly zeroed in on Cornett, who appears to have been lying on the ground. The officer radioed, ‘Hey, I found him in the woods.’

Another officer could then be seen going over and checking on the elderly man and asking if he was okay.

‘Good boy!’ the officer handling Boomer could be heard saying before repeating, ‘Good boy, Boomer!’

Shortly before the video ends, an officer and another man can be seen slowly escorting Cornett out of the wooded area.

A firetruck could be seen parked on the road, and three members of Hillsborough County Fire Rescue who had responded to the call could be seen.

Police said that the elderly man was located just a couple hundred yards away from his home, to which he was safely returned.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office posted the body camera footage to its Facebook page, congratulated the ‘great work’ of its officers and praised Boomer in particular.

The sheriff’s office did not provide details about how or why Cornett went missing.

Boomer quickly sniffed out Cornett, who appears to have been lying on the ground among dense trees and foliage near his home in Lutz, Florida
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Boomer quickly sniffed out Cornett, who appears to have been lying on the ground among dense trees and foliage near his home in Lutz, Florida

Police said that Cornett was safely brought home. The elderly man is pictured being escorted out of the wooded area
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Police said that Cornett was safely brought home. The elderly man is pictured being escorted out of the wooded area

The Daily Mail has reached out to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office for comment and additional details.

In the comments of the Facebook post, dozens of people shared their enthusiasm and praise for Boomer.

‘Love it! Get that dog a steak,’ one user wrote.

‘Nothing better than those floppy eared dogs…. Great Work,’ another said.

‘That is amazing! I don’t think anyone would of thought the gentleman could make it that far into the brush. Glad they got the dog out fast for the search,’ a third chimed in.

Yvonne Cornett, the daughter of the missing elderly man, also commented and wrote: ‘Wonderful job by boomer!!! Thank you from [the] bottom of my heart for finding my dad!!!’