MANSFIELD — Richland County Sheriff Steve Sheldon said a coordinated effort among local law enforcement to find a missing 62-year-old man was likely a life-saving venture.
“This effort among agencies likely saved this gentleman’s life,” Sheldon said.
According to authorities, on Friday at 10:13 a.m., a family member reported that a man with medical issues was discovered missing from the residence at 863 5th Ave. He was last seen at 1 a.m. that morning.
At 3:46 p.m., a neighbor who resides at 586 Rosedale Ave. was mowing the field
across from his residence and found items belonging to the missing person along the tree line.
Deputies responded to the area to coordinate a search. A Sheriff’s K9 was utilized along with Ontario Police Department’s Drone. Deputies also conducted a neighborhood and area search.
At 6 p.m., the Sheriff’s Office reached out to the (OSRT) Ohio Special Response Team who used its personnel and K9’s to conduct a search. The team specializes in searches.
Two of their K9 handlers responded along with additional OSRT personnel.
At 11 p.m. OSRT located the missing person along a creek ¼ mile south of Rosedale in dense underbrush.
The missing person needed medical treatment. Madison and Mifflin EMS and the Sheriff’s Office assisted ORST removing the person from the dense area.
Sheriff Sheldon, who also responded to the incident, thanked OSRT, Ontario Police, Madison and Mifflin EMS and his deputies for conducting an extensive search.