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Cellphone app helps Delta police save missing teen in Burns Bog

The youth was found unconscious and suffering from hypothermia in Burns Bog
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(Delta Police Department photo)

An extensive search aided by a mobile app helped Delta police locate a missing teen needing medical assistance in the early morning of New Year’s Day.

According to a DPD press release, the teenager was reported missing at 4:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 1, and based on location data from an app on the teen’s phone — which was accessed by one of the teen’s friends — officers immediately began an extensive search in the area of Burns Bog.

At around 6:30 a.m., a patrol constable and a new recruit began searching in an where the bog was “extremely dark and foggy,” Staff Sgt. Brian Hill, head of the DPD platoon that led the search, said in a press release.

“The area was covered in deep puddles and thick brush, which made the search very challenging.”

The officers finally located the teen laying about 50 metres off a trail, unconscious, hypothermic and in need of urgent medical assistance. The teen was taken immediately to hospital and reunited with family and friends.

“Burns Bog is a challenging area to search for missing persons in ideal conditions, and conditions that morning were far from ideal,” Hill said. “I’m really proud of our officers for their initiative and perseverance in very challenging and uncomfortable conditions. Their efforts saved a life.”

SEE ALSO: VIDEO: Smartphone app to help Delta police during mental health calls



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James Smith

About the Author: James Smith

James Smith is the founding editor of the North Delta Reporter.
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