Missing man found by bloodhounds in ‘Christmas miracle’

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On Christmas day, Boone County Sheriff’s Office bloodhound Chase helped local law enforcement agencies find a man reported missing in what Boone County Sheriff Mike Nielsen said was a “Christmas miracle.”

At approximately 8:35 a.m. Dec. 25, public safety agencies from across Indiana received a Silver Alert regarding Allen Jefferis, 84, of Union City. Jefferis’ family reported he had gone missing sometime between 8 and 10 p.m. Dec. 24. Police searched for him from 10 p.m. Dec. 24 to 9 a.m. Dec. 25, but their efforts were unsuccessful.

To help track Jefferis, a member from the Union City command enlisted the help of Boone County Sheriff’s Office’s bloodhound Chase, and his handler, Sgt. Ryan Musgrave. Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Neal Hoard and his bloodhound, Maudie, also assisted. The K-9 teams got a good scent in the backyard of Jefferis’ residence when they arrived and tracked the smell approximately a quarter mile to the area of an old barn. A search party found Jefferis on the ground in a wooded area, near a creek, thanks to the bloodhounds. He was wet but alive.

Jefferis was taken by medics to a nearby medical facility for treatment.

“Christmas is a time that we spend with families celebrating together and remembering the real meaning of Christmas,” Nielsen stated. “There is no better way to celebrate Christmas than by coming together as a community with Law Enforcement to do a good deed. In this case, the grateful acts of so many saved the life of Mr. Jeffries. My understanding is that there were over 300-400 searchers over the course of the time Mr. Jeffries went missing, this clearly shows how people still care in this sometimes hateful world we live in today. This K-9 bloodhound program is exactly why we began the program in 2018, to save lives. It clearly is a testimony of Sgt. Musgrave’s devotion to his job and Chase’s keen sense of smell. Our thanks go out to Deputy Hoard of the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office as well; they have been great partners. I’m so happy that Mr. Jeffries was found alive and well, God surely blessed this Christmas miracle. We wish him the best of luck on his recovery and wish him a very Happy New Year because we know his Christmas wish was answered.”


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