A missing Florida woman with dementia was found on Tuesday after police tracked her down using a scent preserved in a bottle. (Citrus County Sheriff's Office)
A missing Florida woman with dementia was located Tuesday after officers and K-9s tracked her down -- using her scent she preserved in a bottle nearly three years ago.
Citrus County Sheriff's Office said they began searching for an "endangered elderly" woman after she was reported missing for two hours from her Sugarmill Woods home.
Authorities located a scent preservation kit kept by the woman and had a K-9 sniff it and then sniff the woman out.
They tracked her down in five minutes.
Police revealed the woman completed her kit almost three years ago.
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"The woman was returned home safely and K-9 Ally was rewarded with a special treat, a tasty vanilla ice cream cone!" the police department wrote.
Scent preservation kits helps preserve a person's smell by using a sterile gauze pad and swiping it under the arm, Fox 13 Tampa reported. The pad is then placed in a specialized jar and sealed with tamper-proof tape. The jar is stored at room temperature.
These kits are also a more effective tool for K-9s to sniff out a missing person because the pads aren't contaminated with other scents.
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