A game warden and his trained dog found an 11-year-old autistic girl in the woods approximately a half mile from her home in Gorham late Saturday afternoon.
The girl ran away from her house on Whispering Pines Lane around 4 p.m. Her family called 911 when they could not find her, and officers from Gorham Police Department, Maine Warden Service and Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office joined the search. A warden service plane also was used during the search.
Warden Michael Latti and his trained warden service dog Luna began to search in the woods behind the house at 4:43 p.m. Luna found the girl’s scent about 10 minutes later and led Latti to the missing child, who was wandering around in the thick woods.
The girl had minor cuts and scratches from walking in the woods but did not need medical attention, the warden service said. Latti and Luna walked the girl back to her house and reunited her with her family.