Banks County K9 Becka and her handler, Corporal Josh Pressley, are celebrating another success. Recently, the two located a 49-year-old man who had been missing for three days. According to the Scent Evidence K9 Facebook page, it was the Banks County bloodhound team’s second find in just over a week.
Pressley is a Scent Evidence K9 Master Handler with the Banks County Sheriff’s Office. Becka is the 4-year-old bloodhound who has worked and lived with him since she was 10 months old.
Becka on the trail
On October 21, investigators working on a missing person case in Banks County contacted the bloodhound team for assistance. They were searching for a man with physical, medical, and possible psychological disabilities. From the evidence, officials said it appeared he had walked into woods behind his residence on Friday, October 18. No one had heard from him since.
Pressley and Becka responded to the scene. After collecting the man’s scent from his bedding, Becka picked up his trail in the backyard. She pushed through to an overgrown area where she trailed past a shoe and two vapes and continued into an area overgrown with kudzu. The bloodhound team found other signs of life, including a single dollar bill and a red T-shirt.
“After making a few loops in the kudzu, K9 Becka pulled through briars so dense that they had to crawl approximately 50 yards into more open woods,” the social media post states.
Missing man found
The trail eventually led to a creek. After a brief break to regain his scent, Becka ultimately found the man lying beside the creek.
“The man was able to sit up as they approached. K9 Becka pulled to him and gave a positive alert by sitting beside him with her tail wagging,” the post states.
The man was covered in scratches and had visible injuries. Officials said he also appeared dehydrated and hypothermic and was unaware of how long he had been in the woods. Overnight temperatures from Friday through Sunday were in the high 30s to low 40s. EMS personnel and family members carried him to safety aboard an ATV.
For her good work, K9 Becka was rewarded with praise and dog treats.
Rare partnership between a Banks County Sheriff’s Officer and his K9
