COOK COUNTY (WGN) — The Cook County Sheriff’s Office is mourning the loss of retired K9 Lulu Belle Francis, who passed away in August after a distinguished career of service.

Lulu Belle, partnered with Sgt. Anna Wilk, joined the Sheriff’s Office in Aug. 2018 and made an immediate impact, officials said.

Just one day after completing training, the Sheriff's Office said she located an endangered missing person from Markham in only seven minutes.

During her career, the German Shepherd helped solve 11 murder cases, including the investigation into the death of 5-year-old AJ Freund in Crystal Lake. In that case, her work revealed the boy had never left his home alive.

Lulu Belle’s skills also helped outside state lines, according to the Sheriff’s Office. While assisting the FBI on a serial

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