A 9-year-old autistic child went missing Wednesday at Rocklin's Sunset Whitney Recreation Area, prompting a rapid police response that ended with the boy found safe and reunited with his mother. Officers turned to drones to help navigate the area's terrain during the search.
According to the Rocklin Police Department, officers mobilized and responded to the search area at Sunset Whitney Recreation Area after the child went missing on Wednesday. The department said the terrain prompted officers to launch drones to aid in the search effort.
Search participants located the child safe and reunited him with his mother, the department said. In its statement, Rocklin police credited coordinated efforts, technology, teamwork, and dedicated personnel for the successful outcome.
Drones Play a Role in Finding Missing Children With Autism
In Arvada, Colorado, police used a drone to find a missing 9-year-old boy with autism just minutes after a call for help came in, according to kdvr.com. The outlet reported that the drone's thermal imaging helped officers in their search for the boy.
A separate case in rural Jennings County, Indiana, saw a drone locate a missing 4-year-old autistic boy who had wandered away from his home, per wlky.com. That report said the drone's thermal camera and infrared detection picked up on the child's body heat in the darkness, leading a detective to find the boy unharmed beside a barn in a wooded area not far from home.
In that Jennings County search, Detective Allen Ritchie said the drone made all the difference in how quickly the child was found. “What took just less than two minutes with the drone would have taken hours and hours on foot,” Ritchie said, according to the same report.
What Remains Unknown About the Rocklin Search
Rocklin police have not released further details about how long the search lasted, exactly where the boy was found, or what equipment the drones used during the operation. The department also has not identified the child or his family, and no additional statements beyond its initial account have been made public.
