Missing boy rescued from Massachusetts swamp by police, K9 named "Meatball"
The 7-year-old was reported missing from his Merrimac home on East Main Street just after 7:30 p.m., and that's when an "intensive search" began involving first responders from Merrimac and Amesbury, police said.
Police said three officers and K9 Meatball found the boy 1.3 miles away from home "in a swampy marsh, waist-deep in water and unable to move out of the mud," authorities said. The officers were able to pull him out of the mud, and made their way out of the woods with the help of drone units.
"Had this child not been located this quickly, I fear our community might have faced a tragic outcome," Merrimac Police Chief Eric Shears said in a statement.
The boy was taken to a local hospital for evaluation and released, and his mother said he is doing well now.
K9 Meatball helps track down missing Merrimac boy
Amesbury Police Chief Craig Bailey praised the first responders and the K9 team for finding the boy quickly.
"We train together for moments such as this hoping we would never need to answer this type of call," Bailey said. "Ultimately, Officer Nichols' track with K-9 Meatball and the support during the track by Officer Hewey and Officer Ryan DeVaney led to this positive outcome."
K9 Meatball, who is partnered with officer Tommy Nichols, turned 5 years old in January. He joined the force in 2022 and is the offspring of Amesbury patrol K9 Achilles.
On behalf of Chief Craig Bailey and the entire APD team, please help us in congratulating Officer Thomas Nichols and K-9... Posted by Amesbury Police Department (OFFICIAL) on Tuesday, October 15, 2024
Chief Bailey previously told The Newburyport News that it was Nichols' family that gave Meatball his unique name.
"When we learned his name, it was a hit," Bailey told the newspaper.
Last month, a police K9 in Milford jumped into a stream to rescue a missing 8-year-old boy who was found clinging to a tree.
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