Infrared drone locates missing teen with autism in Union City night search
How a drone helped find missing teen with autism
First responders with a drone come to the rescue when a teen with autism goes missing.
UNION CITY, Ga. - First responders with a drone say they were able to quickly locate a missing teen with autism in Union City.
Through the lens of an infrared camera on a drone flying over a Union City subdivision, you can see the outline of heat signatures in a subdivision.
Clock was ticking for missing girl
What we know:
The time was about midnight last Sunday.
They say the 14-year-old girl with autism had been missing for some time when the drone team arrived, consisting of Coweta County Sheriff’s Deputy Sam Smith and Coweta County firefighter, Lt. Chris Sims.
They say within 20 minutes, they picked up the heat signature of someone walking in a side yard of a home.
Within a few minutes, the drone shot shows a second person. That was a police officer sent to check on the heat signature to determine if it was the girl.
Drone teams can help 24/7
What they're saying:
Coweta County says it has three Drone Response Teams who are on call and available there and to surrounding communities.
"So, in the case of endangered, missing persons, time is of the essence," said Cpl. Chris Ricketson of the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office.
"Luckily, we are fortunate enough to have good relationships with surrounding countries where it can utilize each other.
The Source: This article includes statements from Cpl. Chris Ricketson of the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office and Coweta County Sheriff’s Deputy Sam Smith.