Florida officers are searching blackwater for missing bodies with adorable trained otter

A recent law enforcement search in Florida put an unusual recovery partner in the spotlight: Splash, a 2-year-old Asian small-clawed otter trained to detect human remains in murky water.

In a state known for swamps, canals, and blackwater, the fuzzy little detective could help search crews tackle cases that are nearly impossible to work by sight alone.

What happened?

Interest in Splash grew after a search for a missing body in Polk County, Florida, where officers brought in trainer Mike Hadsell and his otter to assist. As NPR reported, Hadsell has spent decades training rescue dogs and later applied that experience to underwater forensic recovery with Splash.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Florida Department of Law Enforcement (@fdlepage)

At his Sarasota County home, Hadsell uses kiddie pools to train the otter. He drops in a canister containing human remains, and Splash learns to locate it — practice built for water where visibility is poor.

Hadsell said, "90% of the water that I work in when I do forensic recovery is blackwater. I can't see my hand in front of my face half the time."

Why does it matter?

In dark or debris-filled water, a trained animal that can detect scent could help recovery teams narrow the search more quickly and safely, potentially reducing the time divers spend sweeping dangerous areas by hand.

NPR reported that Splash has succeeded on nine of his 30 deployments. The species is also a strong fit for the job: Asian small-clawed otters have paws that function a bit like human hands, and they can remain underwater for up to eight minutes.

Hadsell described how Splash signals a find: "He leaves me. All I see is his butt going as he's heading out, and then he comes back, and he grabs my mask to let me know that he's found something."

What are people saying?

In a Facebook video, Sheriff Grady Judd holds Splash and says, "And this is the first time in 53 years of law enforcement we've ever used a cadaver otter. We've used cadaver dogs before. So we're pretty excited."

"He's just like them now," he said of the otter's bond with his search dogs. "He's squeaking and squawking and throwing a fit. He's just part of the team now."

Splash's reward is raw salmon.

Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.