DELTA, B.C. -- Some high-tech aid, coupled with old-fashioned, dogged determination helped a group of police officers in British Columbia save the life of a missing teenager.
Staff Sgt. Brian Hill with Delta police says the department was contacted about the missing teen at around 4:30 a.m. Wednesday.
A friend of the youth was able to access an app on the teen's phone, pinpointing the search area to Burns Bog, a 3,500-hectare peat bog in Metro Vancouver.
Hill says officers began scouring the dank and muddy area immediately because they feared the teen might be suffering serious hypothermia.
Two hours into the search, Hill says, two constables, one of them a brand-new recruit, braved an extremely dark, foggy and overgrown section of the bog riddled with deep water and were able to spot the unconscious victim about 50 metres off a trail.
The youth was rushed to hospital for urgent treatment and has since been reunited with family and friends.
“Burns Bog is a challenging area to search for missing persons in ideal conditions,” Hill said in a statement, and conditions for this search were very poor.
“I'm really proud of our officers for their initiative and perseverance in very challenging and uncomfortable conditions. Their efforts saved a life.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 3, 2020
