A missing child is every parent’s worst nightmare – and time is of the essence. Law enforcement (and every armchair detective) know the first few hours are crucial. The longer a person is missing, the greater the likelihood he or she won’t ever be found.

So when frantic parents called an Ohio sheriff to report their three-year-old son missing, Deputy Frank Bleigh knew there was no time to waste. Fortunately, Bleigh had the perfect detective in mind. His name was Bandit, and this four-legged detective (and his keen sense of smell) was born to solve these types of cases.

Sure enough, the Ohio K-9 detected the missing boy’s scent almost immediately. Within 10 minutes, Bandit and Bleigh had found the missing boy. Much to his parents’ relief, the toddler was found just a quarter mile from his house.

Deputy Bleigh and K-9 Bandit started the search at the front of the house and within 10 minutes Bandit had located the child,” the sheriff’s department posted on Facebook.

“This is exactly why we have dog units, watching this track you could tell very well that Bandit had the scent of the child and was well on his way to finding him,” the sheriff continued. “I would like to thank Frank and Bandit for a job well done and it was so amazing to watch this unfold.”