EUREKA COUNTY, Nev. — An urgent search for a missing St. George woman and her three children ended peacefully Tuesday with the help of Nevada state troopers and a fast-acting dispatcher.
"I am very passionate about my job," explained dispatcher Clara Bundy.
As a communications supervisor with the Eureka County Sheriff's Office, Bundy has served a dispatcher for 16 years.
"It means that I get to help people every single day," she said, "so its pretty amazing."
On Tuesday, Bundy received a call she was never expecting.
Brittney Etta Deal and her three children were reported missing from St. George and believed to be with David Gene Remley, a man who had previously been ordered to stay away from the family.
"I received a call from Nevada Highway Patrol and they gave me information about a possible kidnapping suspect, and that we needed to look for a certain vehicle," Bundy recalled.
Nevada Highway Patrol officials notified the Eureka County Sheriff's Office that a cell phone pinged off a tower in their area.
"The data was about an hour-and-a-half behind," Bundy said, "so I contacted St. George PD to gather more information, to get the phone number so we could get new pings."
Bundy then contacted the phone company for new location data and reached out to multiple counties where the phone originally pinged to let authorities know about the situation. One was in Humboldt County where the family was found safe and the suspect was taken into custody, all thanks to quick work and effective communication.
"Nobody told me, 'Hey, get a second ping'," she shared Wednesday, "it was my training and experience over my 16 years saying, 'Hey, you need to gather more information."
Bundy hopes more people now understand the vital role that dispatchers play.
"We're the first link in the chain of public safety, and sometimes it seems like dispatch is not appreciated or not valued enough even though we do a lot behind the scenes," she said.
With the family safe, Bundy was able to reflect on her role in what turned out to be a happy ending for a mother and her children.
"I was feeling that, I hope that I can do my part and I can get help there, if I can help in any way."
