In a swift rescue effort coordinated by the Sumner County Emergency Management Agency, a missing 93-year-old woman with Alzheimer's was located using a sophisticated drone equipped with thermal imaging. According to WKRN, the elderly woman was found in a dense field near her home, having been missing just over an hour when the family reported her disappearance.
Ken Weidner, Director of Sumner County Emergency Management, recounted that within minutes of deploying their drone, they were able to spot the woman who was attempting to navigate an overgrown field pushing her walker. In a statement obtained by WKRN, Weidner described the family's reaction as "exuberant," detailing a scene where they gathered around, hugging the woman in relief once she was safely returned.
Drone imagery captured by Deputy Director Mickey Summers proved crucial, with Summers describing to WSMV how he confirmed the identification before leading the search team to the exact location of the lost woman. "I was actually the first one to get to her," he recalled, recounting their brief exchange where the woman expressed a willingness to return home.
The Sumner County Sheriff's office expressed gratitude for EMA's rapid assistance on a recent Facebook post, citing the event as a "success story" that underlines the life-saving potential of drone technology, as noted by FOX 17.
