ANN ARBOR, Mich. (WXYZ) — A local dog and her owner were honored by the Ann Arbor Police Department Tuesday after they helped locate a missing elderly man who had been lost for two days.
Eighty-two-year-old Dr. Ralph Yang, who has dementia, went on his usual evening walk on June 23. However this time Yang never returned home, prompting a massive community search involving more than 250 volunteers and multiple departments.
Watch the video report below:
After 52 grueling hours of searching through forests, parks and backyards, Ann Arbor resident Ben Osenbaugh and his dog Dolly spotted Yang near a creek in the area of Newport Road and Warrington Drive in Ann Arbor.
"I realized that there was a pretty steep drop-off along the road, so I started to think, someone could've misstepped and they could've taken a fall, so I started to search that area," Osenbaugh said. "There was a sense in the air that tonight was the night we were going to find Dr. Yang.”
Police body camera footage captured the moment officers found Yang alive.
"Is he breathing?" an officer can be heard asking in the footage.
"Yeah he's alive!" another responded.
Watch the body camera footage below:
Officer Howard Cooper of the Ann Arbor Police Department was among those who carried Yang out of the wooded area.
"I didn't know what kind of state he was in at the time, but all we knew is we wanted to make sure he was comfortable, keep him comfortable. We were happy we found him, so we said we got you," Cooper said.
When asked about his feelings upon finding Yang, Cooper expressed "just pure relief."
Watch our previous report when Dr. Ralph Yang was found below:
On Tuesday, the Ann Arbor community gathered to recognize Osenbaugh, Dolly and the officers, departments and volunteers who participated in the rescue. Yang and his wife Francis attended the celebration.
"What else can you say? Just really, really glad," Francis Yang said about her husband's rescue.
Osenbaugh shared his emotions about seeing Yang recovered:
"So to actually see him and shake his hand and see that he's up and about and doing well with physical therapy and all that, it's amazing. It's a really good feeling," Osenbaugh said.
As part of the celebration, Dolly was named an honorary member of the Ann Arbor Police Department for her role in the rescue and received lots of belly rubs and treats.
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