Toddler Found Wandering Half a Mile From Home

On August 25, the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Department launched a search for a 3-year-old boy who had wandered into a cornfield at night. Deputies utilized thermal drone imagery to locate the toddler and return him to his parents.

The call was put in around 8:45 pm local time in Alto, Wisconsin. The parents stated that their child had gotten lost in a field, which they described as being 100 acres in size and covered in 6-foot-tall crops. Since the sun had already set, quickly locating the toddler without additional assistance would have been nearly impossible.

Initial footage shows the drone taking off outside the field and moving inwards to search for heat signatures. Around 9:30 pm, mere minutes after the mission began, a bright figure began to take shape against the evenly patterned cornrows. Fond du Lac deputies were then able to narrow down a more specific area of the field to prioritize.

"Without the use of the thermal imaging drone,” explained the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office, “it would likely have taken Deputies and other first responders hours to search the entire cornfield and the outcome may have been different.”

A Fond du Lac County deputy and Alto Fire Department staff later arrived on the scene. Their signatures were also detected on the drone, allowing operators to direct personnel toward the child.

The search lasted another 15 minutes before officers could pinpoint the child. They led him out of the field and gave him a ride back to meet his parents. When he was found, officers noted that he had wandered at least a half mile from his home.

"Instances like these highlight the importance of technology and collaboration amongst law enforcement in our community," the Sheriff’s Office continued.

FMI: www.fdlsheriff.com