State Police Bloodhound Located Missing Woman

A six-hour search for a missing person in Granby's ended when a state police bloodhound found the woman early Thursday morning.

Following searches by members of Granby's Lost Acres Fire Department and a state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) K-9 unit, Granby Fire Chief John Horr requested a state police K-9 unit from Troop H in Hartford. When that unit arrived, it determined a bloodhound team was needed.

The bloodhound, named Thor, was given items containing the missing woman's scent acquired by state troopers and began a search that lasted about 40 minutes. Traveling through thick vegetation and navigating steep cliffs, Thor and trooper Joseph Morelli found Joy Dilibero, 40, of Windsor, about one mile from the park entrance off of Route 219 shortly before 3 a.m.

Dilibero was said to be in generally good condition by a Granby police dispatcher despite the ordeal. She suffered minor cuts and scrapes and was disoriented upon her rescue.

Dilibero was checked by Granby ambulance personnel and refused transport to a hospital. Dilibero was then reunited with her family, according to a press release from state police Lt. Paul Vance.

Bloodhounds used by the Connecticut State Police are trained for tracking individuals only, according to Vance. The breed was developed for tracking and they are used when other K-9 units are not able to locate search subjects. The dogs can follow trails up to 24 hours old and have a higher rate of location that other police and rescue dogs.