A missing Louisiana girl was found sleeping in the woods after a daylong search by officials using drones equipped with thermal imaging.
Peyton Saintignan, 10, went missing from her home in Dubberly and was last seen at bedtime on September 14, wearing blue Frozen-themed pajamas and no shoes.
Webster Parish Sheriff Jason Parker said she wandered away from her home and was caught on camera walking in a wooded area.
Police launched an extensive search on Sept. 15 conducted by hundreds of volunteers and a number of agencies when Drone Management Services LLC of Magnolia, Arkansas, offered its services.
Using the company’s drones equipped with thermal imaging, police found the girl curled up while sleeping on the forest floor.
A missing Louisiana girl was found sleeping in the woods by officials using drones equipped with thermal imaging
Police woke 10-year-old Peyton Saintignan (pictured) from her sleep on the forest floor and carried her to safety.
“She was in dense woods about 300 yards from where a camera had recorded her on Sunday morning,” Parker said.
“She was asleep when we found her. We took her for a check-up and she is fine, back home and hungry.”
Drone Management Services provided vital services to law enforcement after learning of the rescue effort from a family member.
“We had the DeSoto Parish helicopter in the air and were unable to deploy drones at the time, but when it was possible, Josh Klober, Matt Ramos and Micah Carter brought their equipment out and successfully located the young woman,” Parker said.
Drone footage captured Saintignan being woken by rescuers and taken to safety at around 11 p.m.
She went missing from her home in Dubberly and was last seen at bedtime on September 14 and was caught on a trail camera (pictured) the following day.
The 10-year-old girl (pictured) was checked out by EMS and is fine, back home and hungry.
“It was an honour for Drone Management Services to be involved in the search and rescue operation. Witnessing the moment Peyton was found sleeping peacefully in the woods was truly heartwarming,” he said. The company said.
Louisiana State Police, Webster Parish School Board, Advanced Ambulance, Daubery Police Department, Dixie Inn Police Department, Crossroads Canine Search and Rescue, and numerous other drone and dog teams assisted in the search.
“I can’t tell you how excited we all are to have a happy ending to this,” Parker said. “A lot of prayers were answered today.
“I want to especially thank all the agencies that helped bring Peyton home safely and all the volunteers who dedicated their time and effort. It was truly a cooperative effort.”