NORTH PORT, Fla. -- Police are now investigating how a K9 dog got loose and was found dead after going missing from his handler's home. The dog, Edo had worked with the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office for the past two years.
The Charlotte County Sheriff's Office reported over the weekend that a K9 officer named Edo was missing from the area of Cranberry Avenue and Tamiami Trail since Saturday evening. That's near the Port Charlotte/North Port border.
Monday, they announced that Edo was found deceased in North Port, in the woods near the intersection of Cranberry Avenue and Velvet Lane, about a mile from where he was last seen.
“We are overwhelmed by the support we have received from the community while searching for K9 Edo, both in North Port and Charlotte County,” stated Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell. “This was not the outcome we had hoped for, and our thoughts and prayers are with the handler and his family at this time.”
Four In Your Corner spoke with Russell Graham, a former deputy with more than 18 years of training K9 unit dogs. he said that loosing a dog like Edo can be devastating, not just because of the loss to to law enforcement, but to the family he lives with.
K9 dogs like Edo are given handlers in the department and live at home with their families. the close proximity creates a bond between the dog and those it lives with.
"When we picked handlers, it wasn't just the handler", he told Fox 4.
"The whole family had to come out and meet the dog and make sure the dog fit the family".
North Port Police are continuing their investigation into this incident.
K9 Edo has served the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office for two years.
