K-9 Georgia Dies in Hot Patrol Car; Dade County Launches Investigation

The Dade County Sheriff’s Office is mourning the loss of K-9 Georgia, a young bloodhound who died after being left in a patrol vehicle on a day when temperatures reached over 100 degrees.

An internal investigation revealed that the patrol unit’s air conditioning system failed and the vehicle’s heat alarm was not working. Georgia was left unattended for what the department described as “an unacceptable amount of time.”

In response, the sheriff’s office has updated its K-9 policies, removed the handler from employment, and referred the case to the Dade County District Attorney’s Office for possible prosecution.

K-9 Georgia, donated by a local family, was remembered as sweet, eager, and full of promise.

The department has pledged transparency and plans to release further details after the DA’s review.

Full Press Release:

On July 13th, we tragically lost our newest member of our K-9 team; K-9 Georgia.

What Happened?

On July 13th, 2025 the heat index in Trenton was around 100 to 102 degrees. Georgia’s Handler was inside the Sheriff’s Office, while Georgia was in her patrol car. Unfortunately, a combination of the following factors caused K-9 Georgia to pass away inside the vehicle’s kennel.

How did this happen?

The Sheriff’s Office immediately launched an investigation into the incident. What we found was that the air conditioner compressor on the patrol unit malfunctioned while K-9 Georgia’s Handler was inside the Sheriff’s Office, requiring total replacement of the compressor. The patrol vehicle was also equipped with a heat alarm that was not functioning. Those previous two factors, coupled with K-9 Georgia being left unattended for what we considered to be an unacceptable amount of time, contributed to her passing.

How will we make sure this never happens again?

Going forward, any K-9 vehicle we have will be taken out of service if ANY of the essential K-9 equipment isn’t in 100% working order. We are also going to overhaul our K-9 handler policy, and K-9’s WILL NOT be left in vehicles for extended periods of time during summer. At the direction of Sheriff Cross, K-9 Georgia’s handler is no longer an employee of Dade County Sheriff’s Office, and this entire incident will be turned over to the Dade County District Attorney’s Office to determine if prosecution is warranted in this particular case.

We will be 100% transparent about this incident! After we get a decision from the Dade County District Attorney’s Office about prosecution, we will know what additional details we can (or cannot) release.