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Cellphone app helps find missing Metro Vancouver teen with hypothermia

Police were able to locate the teen before hypothermia became too severe
burns-bog-delta-bc
Thanks to an app on a cellphone, a missing teenager was found by Delta police in the early morning hours on New Year’s Day. Photo: Burns Bog in Delta, B.C./Shutterstock

Thanks to an app on a cellphone, a missing teenager was found by Delta police in the early morning hours on New Year’s Day.

According to DPD, the teenager was reported missing at 4:30 a.m. on Jan. 1.

Police were able to locate the teen before hypothermia became too severe thanks to an app on their cellphone, which was accessed by police with help from a friend.

DPD said the app indicated the teen was likely in the Burns Bog area, which police started searching right away.

“Around 6:30 a.m., one of my patrol constables and our new recruit began searching in a different area, where the bog was extremely dark and foggy,” said S/Sgt. Brian Hill, head of the platoon that led the search. “The area was covered in deep puddles and thick brush, which made the search very challenging.”

The officers finally located the teen lying about 50 metres off a trail, unconscious and in need of urgent medical assistance. They were taken immediately to hospital, where family and friends were able to be reunited with them.

“Burns Bog is a challenging area to search for missing persons in ideal conditions – and conditions that morning were far from ideal,” added Hill. “I’m really proud of our officers for their initiative and perseverance in very challenging and uncomfortable conditions. Their efforts saved a life.”

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