Dog Daisy had stayed with the 64-year-old man’s body for almost two days before she made a cry for help to alert rescuers. The man and his dog went hiking on Wednesday but did not return home before sunset. His concerned wife called for help and police began the search for the man on Thursday.
Although the man had left no information about where he was travelling, he had recently searched online for geocaching which prompted clues about his whereabouts.
The real-world online treasure hunt is a popular game that sees participants follow a GPS signal to find specific areas and containers marked my map coordinates. Emergency services and rescuers used this information to track down the man to Evans Creek wooded area near Eatonville, a town located around 60 miles south of Seattle, Washington.
After finding his car parked by the road, rescuers found information on the geocache locations the man was following.
They visited these areas on foot in an attempt to rescue the hiker or find clues to his whereabouts.
But it was loyal dog Daisy who came to the rescue. Her bark helped guide the searchers to a steep embankment above the Mashel River, where, after following the noise, they found the dog still sitting next to her owner.
Daisy was returned home but the man, who is yet to be publicly identified, was pronounced dead.
The medical examiner said: “This was a very sad end to a tough search, but we are incredibly proud of our deputies and the volunteers’ efforts to find the missing man and return him to his family.
“Without the barking of his loyal companion Daisy, we would never have located the missing man. It was amazing.”
The medical examiner said the man appeared to have died from heart disease and that it looked as if he had taken a fall before his death.
The 213 acre Evans Creek Preserve was donated to the state of Washington in 2000 and contains 3.5 miles of pedestrian trails. The park boasts a diverse collection of wildlife including deer and bears.