In a remarkable rescue operation, a 3-year-old boy was found safe after he strayed into a vast 100-acre cornfield in Alto, Wisconsin. The incident occurred on the evening of August 25, when the boy’s parents alerted the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s deputies that their son had wandered off into the towering cornfield behind their home.
As darkness fell, the deputies employed a thermal drone to aid in the search. The drone’s footage, which transformed the cornfield into a textured black and white image, was instrumental in locating the toddler. At approximately 9:30 p.m., the drone detected a bright white shape moving through the corn, disrupting the uniform pattern of the field.
This heat signature allowed the deputies to concentrate their search efforts on a specific area of the cornfield. The footage continued to capture the rescue operation, showing a deputy from Fond du Lac County and personnel from the Alto Fire Department arriving at the scene.
The rescuers, also appearing as white shapes in the footage, can be seen navigating their way through the corn towards the child. After about 15 minutes, they successfully reached the toddler. The boy was then safely extracted from the cornfield and reunited with his parents.
The Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office emphasized the crucial role of technology in this successful rescue. They stated that without the thermal imaging drone, the search could have taken hours and the outcome might have been different. The boy was found approximately half a mile away from his home.
This incident underscores the importance of collaboration and the use of advanced technology in law enforcement. The thermal drone not only expedited the search but also ensured the safe return of the toddler to his parents.