Over the Thanksgiving holiday, a 79-year-old man with dementia and his hearing-impaired dog were reported missing from their Hall County home. Thanks to the quick deployment of a drone by the Henry County Sheriff's Office, both were safely located and returned to their family. The sheriff's office utilized technology efficiently, highlighting how drones can play a critical role in search and rescue operations.
Family members of Eugene Burch began searching when they noticed he and his dog, who also suffers from hearing impairment, were missing from their residence on Southern Trace Drive. The search intensified as temperatures on Thanksgiving night hovered around the 40-degree mark, with an expected drop to freezing. Henry County Sheriff's Office 1st Lt. Dan Franklin heard about the urgent situation and brought the department's DJI Matrice 300 drone to assist, as reported by FOX5 Atlanta.
The operation took a turn for the better when, after launching the drone, Lt. Franklin located heat signatures resembling a man and a dog in the nearby woods. Using the fixed landing lights for visibility, he instructed ground officers over the radio to follow the drone to their location, as per a statement obtained by 11Alive. "I lowered my altitude and turned on my fixed landing lights on the bottom of the drone," Franklin said. "Over the radio, I instructed officers to locate the drone in the sky and then make their way to it."
Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch praised the effectiveness of the drone technology and the combined efforts of law enforcement. "It’s impressive how flexible and quick our Drone Unit was in responding and locating Mr. Burch from the air," Couch told FOX5 Atlanta. The positive outcome was additionally marked by teamwork between the drone operator and the deputies on the ground, who ensured Mr. Burch and his dog were found uninjured.
The episode was recorded, and a portion of the footage was shared on the department's Facebook page. A two-minute video, featured in the post, illustrated how first responders located the heat signatures and made their way through the woods to the distressed duo.
