(KTLA) — A 78-year-old Malibu man with dementia who had gone missing in chilly December weather was located thanks to infrared heat-seeking technology, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Malibu Search and Rescue Team.
The man, whose identity was not released, was reported missing at about 7:30 p.m. Monday, three hours after he’d gone to check his mailbox and never returned, officials said on X, formerly Twitter .
The temperature was 48 degrees and falling, and the man suffers from early-onset dementia, making his disappearance especially dangerous.
Using a drone equipped with infrared heat-seeking technology, Malibu Search and Rescue noted “a significant heat signature” that was motionless in thick brush alongside a road, authorities said.
“Believing the heat signature was of the missing person, Malibu SAR operators were deployed with medical and evacuation equipment,” officials detailed. “Upon arriving on scene, the rescuers observed the missing man suffering from cold related illness, confused and unable to walk. He was evaluated, wrapped in a blanket, and placed in a rescue basket.”