An 85-year-old woman was safely located with help from her dog, Poncho
Barbara Crosby and her dog went missing on Saturday, Aug. 23
On Sunday, Aug. 24, residents spotted Poncho, and search and rescue teams were able to follow his path and find Crosby, but then the dog vanished
Authorities safely located a missing 85-year-old woman after discovering her dog first on Sunday, Aug. 24, in Sonora, Calif., per a Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO) news release.
Barbara Crosby and her dog, Poncho, went missing at 6:30 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 23. Tuolumne County Search and Rescue (SAR) teams deployed shortly after to look for the pair. Late Sunday night, search crews were about to stop looking for the night and return in the morning, but then the SAR teams spoke to nearby residents and learned they had seen Poncho.
Brett Christopher was one of the residents who spotted the dog. He told KCRA that he saw Poncho around 9 p.m. on Sunday.
“That dog being tied to the missing person is why we stopped,” Christopher said. “Honestly, those emergency alerts are what really saved her life.”
Thanks to the alerts and Poncho sightings from locals, rescue crews found Poncho’s path, which led down a 70-foot steep embankment off the road. After reaching the bottom, rescue crews spotted Pond hiding under some brush.
After finding the dog, crews followed Poncho a short way and located Crosby, who was sleeping on the ground nearby..
The SAR teams then “used a stokes litter and rope system” to safely transport Crosby from the embankment back to safety. Crosby was then transferred to the medics and taken to a nearby hospital.
Although Crosby is safe, Poncho is still missing. He ran off before rescuers could safely rescue him from the embankment. TCSO suspects the hero dog could still be in the East Bald Mountain Road area and asks everyone in the area to keep an eye out for the dog.
Residents told KCRA that Poncho was spotted on Monday, Aug. 25, but he has yet to be secured.
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A representative for the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for more information on Tuesday.
