A 78-year-old man in Malibu, diagnosed with dementia, went missing on Monday was safely found due, to an advanced drone equipped with infrared technology. According to a report from NBC Los Angeles, the senior had been gone for approximately three hours in temperatures that had fallen into the 40s.
A miracle just in time for the holidays! At 7:30 pm on Monday December 23rd, @MalibuSAR was requested to search for a 78 year old man who went missing from his home in #malibu. The informant advised us that the missing man went to get mail from his mailbox at 4:30 pm, but never pic.twitter.com/f1KBo51aRX
— Malibu Search Rescue (@MalibuSAR) December 25, 2024
Law enforcement was alerted when family members were unable to locate him after a search that started upon realizing he hadn't returned from retrieving mail. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, with the aid of a drone's heat-detecting capabilities, quickly identified his location. The drone's pilot observed a conspicuous, motionless heat signature beside a road within dense vegetation, and the rescue team was dispatched. In the words of Deputy David Katz in a conversation with NBC Los Angeles, "This man was actually down and unable to move," emphasizing the gravity of his vulnerable state.
The elderly man, who was found holding his TV remote control, was suffering from a cold-related illness, and was confused, he was unable to walk. The rescue team provided medical assistance. He was evaluated on the spot, wrapped in a blanket, and safely placed in a rescue basket before being transported by ambulance for further treatment, as detailed by KTLA.
An official post from Malibu Search and Rescue detailed the ordeal, "Believing the heat signature was of the missing person, Malibu SAR operators were deployed with medical and evacuation equipment," as stated by Malibu Search Rescue. Malibu Search and Rescue commended the invaluable role of drone technology in swift search and rescue operations as well as the teamwork that led to the timely and happy conclusion to what could have been, a dire situation.
