A 10-year-old girl who went missing from her home near Shreveport, Louisiana, has been safely found and reunited with her family, thanks to the innovative use of a thermal imaging drone. The footage from the rescue has garnered significant online attention.
The girl, Peyton Saintignan, disappeared after sleepwalking into the nearby woods. According to the Webster Parish Sheriff’s Office, she went missing around 10 p.m., and her family and neighbors had been searching for about an hour before contacting authorities.
“Once we received the call, we immediately began coordinating a search effort,” said Webster Parish Sheriff Jason Parker. The Louisiana State Police, along with hundreds of volunteers, joined forces with local residents to comb through the forest.
Drone operator Josh Klober, who traveled from Arkansas, about 40 miles away, played a crucial role in the search. As co-owner of Drone Management Services LLC, Klober brought a drone equipped with a thermal imaging camera, which proved instrumental in detecting Peyton’s body heat through the dense forest.
In addition, a trail camera used by hunters captured an image of Peyton, providing further clues to her location. “We set up our equipment, including a generator and a flat-screen TV, to monitor the drone footage,” Klober explained to Good Morning America.
Around 11 p.m., roughly 1.5 miles from her home, Klober identified a figure resembling Peyton lying on the ground in the woods. Despite missing a shoe, she was found curled up in her purple and white pajamas. The thermal image brought immense relief to the search team.
Soon after Peyton was located, a member of the search party—who happened to be the father of her best friend—reached her and gently woke her. To everyone’s relief, she was unharmed, aside from a few mosquito bites. Sheriff Parker described her condition as “perfect” and expressed amazement that she had sustained no serious injuries.
Peyton’s family shared that she has a history of sleepwalking but had never wandered this far into the woods before. After being examined by first responders and Child Protective Services, she was cleared to return home.
As news of the rescue spread online, reactions poured in with relief and admiration. “It makes me so happy she was found,” one user commented, while another wrote, “I can only imagine the tears in the eyes of the police who saw this image on their drone.”
This remarkable rescue, made possible by the community and modern technology, underscores the crucial role drones can play in search and rescue efforts, particularly in difficult environments like dense forests. Peyton’s safe return is a testament to the dedication of volunteers and the power of thermal imaging in critical situations.