Indian River County Sheriff's Deputy Sam Lewis and his K9 partner Penny helped rescue an 84-year-old woman with dementia during a search in Gadsden County near Tallahassee. The deputy and his bloodhound were attending a K9 certification course when they joined the effort to locate Margaret Myles Ellis, who had been missing for approximately 30 hours.
Ellis was last seen at her home on Sept. 14 and reported missing on Sept. 15. She had been diagnosed with early-stage dementia and has a pacemaker. Body camera footage from Deputy Lewis captured him scaling down trees into a ditch in a heavily wooded area during the search. Ellis was found in shallow water, and Deputy Lewis helped pull her to safety.
Bloodhound search teams from across the state participated in the effort. Penny searched along with other dogs in a rotated dog search, according to officials. Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers praised Lewis and the department's K9 unit for their willingness to help no matter where they are. The sheriff's office K9 unit includes 18 dogs trained for patrol, search and rescue, explosives detection, electronics detection, firearms detection and therapy.
Ellis was reunited with her family after the rescue. Deputy Lewis and K9 Penny have since returned to Indian River County and resumed their duties. Sheriff's officials highlighted the role of therapy dogs in supporting deputies, noting that dogs provide a way for law enforcement to connect and express the experiences they encounter daily. The sheriff said the department is extremely proud of Deputy Lewis and the entire K9 unit that goes out every day.