A Texas grandmother who went missing for three days was found safe Friday by searchers who followed the sounds of her barking dog into dense woods.
Sherry Noppe, 63, vanished on Tuesday and was last seen walking her black Labrador, Max, down her street in the Houston suburb of Katy, authorities said.
Deputies and volunteer searchers, who were also friends of the Noppe family, found the woman at about 3 a.m. Friday. They had refused to come in Thursday night and continued looking in bad weather and the pitch dark, the family said.
“This community came together at the drop of a hat for us,” Noppe’s relieved son, Justin, told local reporters Friday morning. Max never left the woman’s side throughout her ordeal, her family said. “He’s our hero,” Justin said.
Sherry Noppe was dehydrated and had multiple scratches and bruises, but is otherwise fine, her family said. She was being examined at a hospital on Friday.
Searchers had “tirelessly” looked for the missing grandmother, said Harris County Precinct 5 Constable Ted Heap. The woman had become stranded in a deep section of forest at George Bush Park, which sprawls across 7,800 acres outside of Houston.
Texas Equusearch also deployed rescuers and all-terrain vehicles to help in the frantic search.
Sherry Noppe apparently became lost and stuck in the trees, her family said. She had previously been diagnosed with early onset dementia and may have become confused, her son said.
“With Max, that dog had no leash, no collar, and stayed by her side for three days,” Justin said. “And that just shows you the loyalty the dog has.”
Max was being checked out by a vet and getting a much-needed bath, the family said.