Police dog Karmo locates missing 74-year-old woman in Estonian forest
A 74-year-old mushroom picker who got lost in the Paunküla forest in Harju County, Estonia, was found safe after a roughly two-hour search, thanks to police dog Karmo.
On Sunday evening, Estonian police launched a search for a 74-year-old woman who had lost her way in the Paunküla forest in Harju County. The operation lasted about two hours and ended successfully when police dog Karmo located the woman in the woods.
Shortly after 16:36, the Emergency Response Center received a call reporting that a woman who had gone mushroom picking in the Paunküla area had become separated from her companion and could not find her way out. She initially tried using Google Maps to navigate out of the forest, but her phone battery began draining quickly. Once her companion reached the forest's edge and realized she was missing, he alerted police.
Mirjam Volmre of the Ida-Harju police station, who led the search, said officers contacted the woman by phone and asked her to stay put and call the Emergency Centre so her location could be pinpointed from the call, which helped narrow the search area. Because her battery was nearly depleted, she was asked to stop using the phone to preserve the remaining charge.
The search involved several police patrols, a police dog handler with Karmo, a volunteer dog handler, professional and volunteer rescuers, and drones. Rescuers scanned the area with a thermal camera, while volunteers used ATVs to cover ground.
Volmre said the priority is always to find a missing person as fast as possible, since time works against someone stranded in a forest. As weather conditions worsened, with rain starting and darkness approaching, additional resources were gradually brought in, including a Police and Border Guard Board helicopter.
At 19:20, just as the helicopter reached the search area, the dog handler and Karmo found the woman in the forest. Medics examined her and confirmed she was unharmed. The handler said she was in good spirits and overjoyed to be found.
Volmre stressed the importance of carrying a fully charged phone into the forest, and urged anyone who realizes they are lost to notify the Emergency Center immediately and follow police instructions to stay in an open, visible location while conserving battery. The woman had also been carrying a white bucket, which she said stands out clearly against the forest's natural colors and helps search teams spot people more easily.
