April 10, 2023

Game Warden K9 Koda Locates Missing 11-Year-Old-Girl Who Didn't Want To Go To School

For Immediate Release: April 10, 2023

DAMARISCOTTA, Maine - Game Warden K9 Koda and Game Warden Jake Voter located a missing 11-year-old Damariscotta girl who didn't want to go to school this morning, and hid 20 feet up in a tree.

The young girl, who had become upset with her mother about having to go to school this morning, left the house at about 8:15 this morning. The mom thought her daughter had headed out to the car, but when the mom went out to the car, the girl was gone. Friends and family members searched for her unsuccessfully, then called the Damariscotta Police department a little after 9:00 a.m. The police department and a K9 unit from Lincoln County Sheriffs office were unable to find her, and called for more assistance.

The Maine Warden Service started searching the area at approximately 11:25, along with a Maine State Police pilot in the area who searched from the air with a plane, and a drone from Lincoln County Sherriffs Office.

At approximately 12:25, Game Warden Voter and K9 Koda set off on right side of the house to search the woods. Approximately 200 from Voters truck, K9 Koda started circling around a pine tree, and wouldnt leave the tree. Voter didnt see anything at first, but upon circling the tree, he noticed the young girl on the backside of the tree, about 20 feet from the ground.

The young girl asked what was the name of Voters dog, and after he told her, he asked if she needed help, but she was already climbing down to see Koda. When she got down from the tree, she threw Kodas ball for her, and then Warden Voter, Koda and the young girl walked out of the woods and the girl was reunited with her family.

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