HALL COUNTY, Ga. - A missing Hall County man is back with his family after being found by a Henry County Sheriff's Office drone over the Thanksgiving holiday.
Authorities say 79-year-old Eugene Burch and his dog went missing from his home on Southern Trace Drive on Thanksgiving.
Family members say they had been searching for Burch for hours. The missing man lives with dementia and both he and his dog are hearing impaired.
While deputies searched the ground, HCSO 1st Lt. Dan Franklin heard about the situation and arrived at the scene with the department's DJI Matrice 300 drone.
(Hall County Sheriff's Office)
"The temperature outside was around 40 degrees and was expected to reach a low of 32 degrees," Franklin said. "I recognized the danger of the situation for Mr. Burch and Marty, so I got ready and responded."
After launching, Franklin was able to spot the heat signature of what looked like a person and dog in the woods near the home.
"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. I hovered over Mr. Burch and Marty until officers made their way to him using the drone as a guide."
Burch and the missing dog were quickly found. Thankfully, both were injured.
(Hall County Sheriff's Office)
"This effort is a great example of what technology means to law enforcement in this day and age," Sheriff Gerald Couch said. "It’s impressive how flexible and quick our Drone Unit was in responding and locating Mr. Burch from the air. The seamless teamwork by 1st Lt. Franklin and our Uniform Patrol Division deputies on the ground enabled the positive outcome for Mr. Burch and his dog. I’m so grateful for the tools that we have, but it’s our people who use them that make the real difference."