Elite Drone Services LLC says it helped Putnam County and state authorities find a 73-year-old with dementia about an hour after they were reported missing.
PUTNAM COUNTY, Ohio — An Ohio-based drone service teamed up with Putnam County and state authorities to find a person with dementia about an hour after they were reported missing Monday night.
Elite Drone Services LLC said on social media that one of its drone operators was sent to assist the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office and Ohio State Highway Patrol search for the missing 73-year-old who had left his home, was not seen for an extended period of time and was not found by family at locations within walking distance.
A press release from the sheriff’s office states a family member of the missing person notified a state trooper that he was missing around 8:17 p.m. That trooper then called out OSHP’s aviation unit and the sheriff’s office, which in turn called out other local authorities, a bloodhound and its own drone operator.
The drone service, based in Delphos, Ohio, was eventually contacted too, along with boat resources due to the area’s proximity to the Auglaize River, which runs through the southwest corner of Putnam County.
Authorities found the missing person around 9:13 p.m. “stuck in the mud” by the river, “approximately a third of a mile from the last known location,” according to the sheriff’s office.
The person was removed from the location and suffered minor injuries in the incident, the sheriff’s office said.
Photos of the search and rescue provided by Elite Drone Services LLC can be seen below:
Drone service helps authorities find missing person in Putnam County
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This article was published by Andrew Bailey on 2025-04-15 20:36:00
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