The 78-year-old man left his residence to retrieve his mail, but failed to return, prompting a missing persons call. An elderly man with dementia who went missing in Malibu, California, was found thanks to thermal imaging technology attached to a drone.
![[The elderly man sustained only minor injuries after suffering a fall, and was transported to hospital for medical evaluation]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/27/22/newFile-6.jpg)
The 78-year-old left his residence at approximately 4:30 p.m. on December 23 to retrieve the mail but failed to return, prompting a missing persons call. Deputies from the Lost Hills Station responded to the call as temperatures dropped below 50F. Officers swiftly initiated a search and rescue operation, broadcasting a description of the missing man over the radio and entering his information into the National Crime Information Centermissing persons database.
![[Malibu Search and Rescue and the LA County sheriff’s office shared photos of the operation on X, including the grainy gray screen with a red image of the man lying in the brush]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/27/22/newFile-3.jpg)
According to the department, deputies also deployed several FAA certified Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) drones equipped with infrared capabilities to scour the area. At approximately 8:50 p.m., a UAS located the missing person lying in a field of thick brush about a quarter mile away from his residence.
“Upon arriving on scene, the rescuers observed the missing man suffering from a cold related illness, confused and unable to walk,” the department said in an online post. “He was evaluated, wrapped in a blanket, and placed in a rescue basket.”.
The man had only sustained minor injuries from a fall and was transported to a local hospital for treatment and further evaluation. Malibu Search and Rescue shared photos of the operation on X, including the grainy gray screen with a red image of the man lying in the brush.
