Elton Ralston, 92, was treated at a hospital after spending a night in chest-deep water on family land.
DALLAS COUNTY, AL — A 92-year-old Marine veteran was found alive in a swampy area of Dallas County after he failed to return from a walk with his dog on family land, officials and relatives said.
Elton Ralston’s rescue brought an urgent search to a safe close after crews, relatives, neighbors and volunteers worked through rough terrain and heavy brush. Some reports described him as missing for days, but detailed local accounts said the search lasted about 24 hours, from late Friday until just before dark Saturday.
Ralston had gone walking Friday, April 24, with his dog on the family farm, a routine his family said he often followed. When he did not come home by late evening, relatives began looking for him and called 911. Crews searched into the night before stopping around 1 a.m. because of rain and unsafe conditions. They returned early the next morning. “He spent the night, it appears, in the swamp, under water up to about his chest,” Russell Ralston said. He said his father was covered by reeds and hard to see.
The search changed Saturday morning when Ralston’s dog came back to the house alone. Montgomery Fire/Rescue said that led crews to expand the search area. Searchers also followed boot prints as they moved through brush taller than some of the people looking for him. Drew Wendland, a farmer who joined the search after hearing a relative was missing, said he was headed to the farm when he got the call. “It started out like any day for me,” Wendland said. He later described the rescue as “the pinnacle of my life experience so far.”
Wendland said he and a firefighter closed in on Ralston around 6:30 p.m. Saturday. Searchers were calling out when they heard an answer from the swamp. Russell Ralston said his father replied, “Are you talking to me?” The response helped crews locate him in the wetland grass. Prattville firefighter Cody Hartzog said the timing was critical. “Without him we would not have found Mr. Elton,” Hartzog said, describing the moment as a reunion. Crews pulled Ralston from the water and reported that he was alert and oriented when he was found.
Ralston was taken to an area hospital for evaluation and treatment. Family members said he had been in cold, chest-high water and was suffering from hypothermia when rescuers reached him. He was released from the hospital Monday morning, according to family accounts reported locally. Officials did not report any criminal charge or sign of foul play tied to the incident. The search was handled as an emergency rescue involving multiple agencies, relatives and volunteers who worked against weather, fading light and difficult ground.
The rescue drew attention because of Ralston’s age, his military service and the role his dog played after returning home alone. Family members said Ralston and the dog often walked the property together. After the dog came back, searchers used that clue, along with boot tracks, to narrow the area. The terrain slowed the effort. Crews had to push through swamp grass, reeds and brush while trying to cover ground quickly enough to find Ralston before another night in the water.
Russell Ralston said the family’s relief was hard to describe after searchers found his father alive. “The joy and relief in that moment was unlike anything we’ve ever experienced,” he said. Officials said the successful rescue depended on coordination among agencies and people who came from nearby farms and communities. The search included Montgomery Fire/Rescue, firefighters, law enforcement and local volunteers, according to reports from agencies and family members involved in the response.
Ralston was home after his hospital release, and no further emergency search activity was reported. The next milestone was his continued recovery with family after the overnight ordeal.
Author note: Last updated Sunday, May 3, 2026.