SUGAR LAND, Texas – High-tech help from the sky saved a missing man with dementia in Sugar Land. Police used thermal imaging technology on drones to quickly locate and reunite the man with his family.
The search began after a neighbor called 911 to report a suspicious man. Captain Jesse Huang of the Sugar Land Police said officers soon realized the man was the missing elderly person with dementia.
Officers immediately launched a drone equipped with thermal imaging, which detected the man’s body heat in a backyard near a pool. While everything else appeared gray, the man’s heat signature showed up clearly in black.
“It took about 10 minutes to locate the missing gentleman once the drone was in the air,” Captain Huang said.
After pinpointing his location, officers brought the man to safety.
Sergeant Andrew Nowak explained how thermal imaging has become a crucial tool for finding missing persons, investigating crashes, and tracking suspects.
“If a suspect runs and bails out of a car, we can often see which car was recently running,” Nowak said.
To demonstrate the technology, Sugar Land Police Public Information Officer Alicia Alaniz “went missing” during a test. Despite challenges like tree coverage, the drone found Alaniz within seven minutes.
Captain Huang said the technology offers relief not only to families but also to the officers who dedicate themselves to these searches.
“It’s a big relief for the family members and for us because our officers put their heart into helping the community,” he said.