After nearly 80 hours trapped in a ravine, Cody Trenkle got to reunite with rescue K-9 Daryl, the lifesaving dog who found him, and the team hailed as heroes.
FARMINGTON, Mo. — Fourteen-year-old Cody Trenkle spent more than three days trapped in a ravine this summer, fighting for his life.
For Cody, Thursday was more than just the first day back at school; it was a day he’d been waiting for since the moment he opened his eyes after a month in the hospital. Sometimes real heroes have four legs and a nose for miracles.
It was a moment Cody and his family will never forget.
“I got to meet the dog that saved my life,” Cody said, his face breaking into a grin as he reached down to greet K-9 Daryl. “If I’d had to spend a couple more hours down there, I wouldn’t have made it. But because of him, 20 minutes, man, I’m impressed.”
Cody’s story seemed almost impossible: On July 27, the St. Francois County teenager crashed his skateboard near his home by Goose Creek Lake, tumbling 240 feet into a forested ravine. For nearly 80 hours, family members, volunteers, and first responders scoured the steep terrain.
Cody’s mom, Stephanie Neely, recalled the exact moment hope returned: “I put all my faith in Daryl, and sure enough, 20 minutes later, all the alarms started going off. I was hearing 911 alerts everywhere. That’s when I knew they found him.”
More than three days later, six-year-old K-9 Daryl, the bloodhound from the Farmington Correctional Center, had been given a pair of Cody’s shoes for scent. Within 20 minutes, he put that well-bred nose to work, tracking the scent straight to Cody.
“It was kind of comical at first because I felt bad for him that he was gonna have to smell Cody’s stinky shoes,” Stephanie said with a laugh. “But I knew it was the best scent to give them because he wears his shoes constantly, sometimes he even sleeps with them.”
Lt. Joe Gillam, leader of the K-9 unit at the correctional center, said what Daryl accomplished that day was extraordinary.
“Twenty minutes on a three-day-old track, that’s almost unheard of,” Gillam said, getting emotional. “As a parent myself with a 14-year-old. This was the best-case scenario because he was found alive.”
The terrain, Gillam said, was brutal: “Pretty much a straight down ditch. It was hilly, really thick undergrowth. It was rough terrain, really rough.”
But Daryl didn’t stop until he found Cody, lying in a foot of water, dehydrated, seriously injured, fighting to survive with a severe brain bleed, pneumonia, and deep cuts that would eventually land him in a medically-induced coma. But Cody was alive.
Recovery and resilience
Cody was airlifted to Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital, where he spent 11 days in a medically-induced coma and a month in the hospital. Two weeks ago, he was finally released.
His mom says she’s still in awe of her son’s strength.
“We keep saying to get Cody back, and we’re that much closer to him being Cody again,” Stephanie said.
Cody, never one to lose his humor, summed it up in his own way: “Just got to get the head healed, and then I’m Cody again.”
On Thursday, he not only got to thank Daryl face-to-face, but he also returned to school for the first time.
“It was all right,” Cody said about his first day back. “I didn’t get to do the things I wanted to. I couldn’t go through the hall with all the people because of safety precautions with my head.”
The hero dog
For Gillam and his team, seeing Cody meet Daryl was validation of years of training.
“Just seeing that what we do every week in training paid off, that’s what we worked for,” Gillam said. “And this time, it worked out best-case scenario.”
Stephanie couldn’t help but get emotional watching her son thank the dog who brought him home.
“He was on a mission that day, which I’m grateful for,” she said. “But just seeing him today and seeing Cody get to meet him, it’s pretty amazing.”
As Cody knelt down to pet the black-and-brown K-9, his words were simple: “Thank you. Thanks, Bubbas.”
Looking ahead
Cody’s recovery isn’t over. Doctors say his head injury could take six months to a year to fully heal, and he still faces rehabilitation for both brain and liver conditions.
But if his determination so far is any sign, Cody is ready for the road ahead.
“Glad he’s doing great, glad he’s home,” Gillam said. “It worked out best-case scenario.”
The Missouri Department of Corrections honored Daryl and the K-9 team with awards and medals on Thursday for their lifesaving work.
And Cody? He’s focused on the future.
“Just got to get the head healed,” he repeated with a grin, “and then I’m Cody again.”
A GoFundMe has been set up to help with Cody’s medical bills and long-term care. You can donate here.