COLFAX, Wash. – The Whitman County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) used a drone to locate a missing child one mile from his home.
According to WCSO, around 9:30 p.m. on June 7, deputies were notified that a 3-year-old boy with autism had wandered away from his family home just west of Colton.
Deputies reported that the child had been missing for nearly an hour. They initiated the search and requested assistance from 75 first responders from the Moscow Police Department, Pullman Police, Fire District 14, Latah Search and Rescue, and many others.
Additionally, Rotor Air Support was on standby, and officers from the Sheriff’s Office, Pullman PD, and Moscow PD deployed small unmanned aircraft in the immediate area. According to deputies, each unmanned unit (Drones) was equipped with FLIR (Forward Looking Infrared), which can detect heat signals and has become a vital tool in Search and Rescue Operations.
Whitman County deputies stated that an officer from the Moscow Police, operating one of the drones, located the missing child. With the assistance of first responders, they safely returned the boy to his family.
