Sumter Co. K9 deputy talks about saving missing autistic teen

SUMTER COUNTY, Fla. — After nearly 24 hours of searching for a non-verbal autistic teenager, a Sumter County deputy and his K-9 found Peyton Pickard up to his neck in water, covered in bite marks. 'insects.

“Some angels have wings, this one has four legs and floppy ears,” said Deputy Robert Mata of the Sumter Co. Sheriff's Office.

A sense of ease arises after nearly 24 hours of searching for 16-year-old Peyton Pickard.

“I was relieved,” Mata said, “I felt all their pressure. Everyone's waiting for me thinking, “Hey, is he going to find it?” »

Mata and her K-9 partner Indy are the duo who found Peyton up to her neck in water Tuesday evening. But it wasn't just the swampy environment that posed a challenge to search and rescue operations. Peyton wasn't verbal.

The game changer was having a Scent Evidence K-9 kit to give to law enforcement so K-9 Indy and others could follow along. Twenty-two hours after Peyton was reported missing, Mata and his K-9 partner, Indy, detected a scent.

“We finish circling the tree, everything stops, and I see Peyton right there in the water. He's shivering,” Deputy Mata said, “I say 'oh my God,' I start screaming and screaming, I listen to the radio. It was surreal.

Three months of work, K-9 Indy is already saving lives. The bond between the two partners has only grown stronger since the rescue.

“It was a nice day. For her and for us because it is her first discovery. I've had it for three months; my goal was to make him a discovery during his year. So we achieved it,” Mata said.

Although it's part of the job, for Mata and K-9 Indy, it's nice to know their work saved a life.

Peyton is expected to be fine and is now home with her father.

K-9 Indy was donated by Scent Evidence K-9, based in Tallahassee. It was also their scent evidence kit that allowed Peyton to be found by the Indy.

“My wife looked at me and said this dog could save someone’s life. We must give it to [Sumter Co. Sheriff’s Office] so he can save a life. [Office Robert Mata] called me as he came out of the woods with Peyton. There’s nothing like it,” said Paul Coley, CEO of Scent Evidence K-9.

Citizens of Orange and Sumter counties can visit their sheriff's office to obtain a free scent kit. Other counties, like Lake Co., have similar programs under different names. Contact the local sheriff's office for more information.