Katy missing woman update: Barking dog alerts searchers to Sherry Noppe

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — Sherry Noppe, the woman missing since Tuesday along with her dog, was found alive by searchers early Friday morning in George Bush Park, according to Harris County Precinct 5 Constable Ted Heap.

Noppe was found at 3 a.m. by a group of volunteers and deputies who were alerted by the sound of her dog, Max, barking in the woods, Heap said.

“It’s a small miracle that she’s alive after being missing for so long,” Constable Heap said. “Our concern now is getting her out of the woods and to a hospital for a medical evaluation.”

The Noppe family will give an update on her condition at a briefing this morning. Stream it in the player above.

Noppe was taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital in Katy to be evaluated. Officials said she was a little shaken up.

A friend of the family is calling it a miracle and said Max the dog is a hero for helping signal searchers with his barking.

Deputies and Texas EquuSearch have been searching the 2,700-acre park on ATVs and on foot since earlier this week.

Noppe was last seen early Tuesday afternoon walking her dog, Max, a black Labrador, near her Parkland Village neighborhood in Katy, which backs up to George Bush Park.

Tips about possible sightings had poured in over the last few days.

“We’ve had two sightings that are more credible than others, we’ve had about 200 non-credible sightings,” Jake Stovall with Gulf Search & Rescue said earlier this week.

A Facebook page called Find Sherry had thousands of members. One post included a photo of a chair, a dog bowl and bottle of water with Noppe’s name on it that someone left on a trail.

Noppe was recently diagnosed with dementia but despite her memory loss, was said to be very familiar with the park’s trails.

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