Thompson, CT – Responders were able to successfully locate a missing hiker who veered off the tri-state marker trail Thursday evening.
At approximately 3:51 PM on Thursday, August 8th, 2024 the East Thompson Volunteer Fire Department, along with the Thompson Fire Engine Company (Thompson Hill), Douglas Fire Department, and Putnam EMS were dispatched to the area of East Thompson Rd and New Rd for a hiker lost in the woods near the tri-state marker portion of the Air Line Trail.
The missing woman was able to call 911 allowing Quinebaug Valley Emergency Communications (QVEC) to pinpoint their location via the 911 calls GPS ping. Several UTVs and off-road capable apparatus were deployed into the woods with firefighters to begin a foot search of the narrow trails connecting the Air Line Trail to the tri-state marker where the Woman was believed to be located.
Approximately 15 minutes into the incident Douglas Fire Department’s UTV was deployed with Connecticut State Police K9 Kash and his handler Trooper Mara to begin a scent track of the missing woman.
QVEC dispatchers were able to utilize a Geographic Information System (GIS) application loaded onto a fire officer’s phone to guide the rescuers to the GPS signal of the missing woman. Crews found the woman a short ways past the tri-state marker where she mistakenly headed towards Rhode Island instead of back to the trail she entered on. K9 Kash briefly tracked the scent but was called off when the woman was found.
The woman was assisted out of the woods onboard a UTV and evaluated by Putnam EMS. She refused further transport to the hospital.
Agencies that responded included the East Thompson Volunteer Fire Department, Thompson Fire Engine Company, Putnam EMS, Douglas Fire Department, Connecticut State Police Troop D, and the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP).
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