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An elderly man with dementia who went missing in Malibu, California, was found thanks to thermal imaging technology attached to a drone.
The 78-year-old left his residence at approximately 4:30 p.m. on December 23 to retrieve the mail but failed to return, prompting a missing persons call.
Deputies from the Lost Hills Station responded to the call as temperatures dropped below 50F.
Officers swiftly initiated a search and rescue operation, broadcasting a description of the missing man over the radio and entering his information into the National Crime Information Centermissing persons database.
According to the department, deputies also deployed several FAA certified Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) drones equipped with infrared capabilities to scour the area.
At approximately 8:50 p.m., a UAS located the missing person lying in a field of thick brush about a quarter mile away from his residence.
“Upon arriving on scene, the rescuers observed the missing man suffering from a cold related illness, confused and unable to walk,” the department said in an online post. “He was evaluated, wrapped in a blanket, and placed in a rescue basket.”
The man had only sustained minor injuries from a fall and was transported to a local hospital for treatment and further evaluation.
Malibu Search and Rescue shared photos of the operation on X, including the grainy gray screen with a red image of the man lying in the brush.
“A miracle just in time for the holidays,” the department captioned the photo.
