Volunteer and his dog rescue missing man

By CLAIRE GOODMAN, Managing Editor
Posted 9/17/19

Matt Pierce and his dog, RBI, are being hailed as heroes for finding and rescuing Mohammad Hadi, a 72-year-old man who had been missing for days.

It was nothing out of the ordinary for Hadi to go …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Volunteer and his dog rescue missing man

Posted

Matt Pierce and his dog, RBI, are being hailed as heroes for finding and rescuing Mohammad Hadi, a 72-year-old man who had been missing for days.

It was nothing out of the ordinary for Hadi to go for a long walk in the evening. He regularly took walks through the Cross Creek Ranch subdivision.

Hadi left his home at around 5 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 8. By 7 p.m., Hadi still had not returned, and his family was beginning to worry. At 9 p.m., Hadi was still gone, so his family called the police.

The Fulshear Police Department immediately embarked on a ground search for Hadi. They enlisted the help of the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office, who started an aerial search with their helicopters. The officers also utilized drones, ATVs and thermal imaging cameras.

Officers searched into the night, but there was still no sign of Hadi. When morning dawned and Hadi was still missing, rescue crews became increasingly more concerned. “I've been doing this for 37 years, and at that time in the morning, I thought, ‘This isn't good. This isn't going to end well,’” said Capt. Mike McCoy of the Fulshear Police Department. “Especially in the heat, you won't last long for a couple days out there.”

The size of the swath of land in which Hadi had disappeared was the biggest challenge for rescue efforts. “There were several hundred acres of area that was undeveloped with ravines and creeks,” said McCoy.

Further complicating the issue: rescuers didn’t even know for certain Hadi had gone that direction. In the morning, police set a bloodhound on Hadi’s scent. The dog was able to determine the direction Hadi had gone, which narrowed the search area, but crews were unable to find his exact trail.

The next day, the Fulshear Police Department issued a public plea for volunteers to aid in the search for Hadi. Pierce was one of hundreds of volunteers who showed up to help.

Pierce, along with his Border Collie, RBI, showed up to volunteer in the evening on Monday. He drove through the open fields and retention ponds. As the sun began to set, Pierce considered giving up the search but decided to stay longer because his wife, the principal of Katy Elementary, wouldn’t be home until late in the evening.

Pierce came to an open gate in the field, which seemed suspicious to him. “One thing I knew is that you don’t leave gates open in cattle fields.”

Pierce and RBI set out on foot through the gate. He estimated that he walked about a mile before reaching the end of the property. As Pierce was about to return to his vehicle, RBI heard a sound in the grass.

RBI ran to the source of the sound and found Hadi, who was laying in the grass.

Hadi had taken a break from his walk by resting on the edge of the levy. He had then slipped off the levy and fallen down into a ditch.

Pierce put Hadi in his truck and drove him back to the rescue station. Hadi was treated for severe dehydration and is expected to recover fully. “It was a blessing to help,” Pierce said.

At the Sept. 11 Fulshear-Katy Chamber of Commerce meeting, Pierce was honored for his life-saving efforts. Pierce stated that he does not consider himself a hero. “I did what I feel good people should do,” he said.