Police drone finds critically missing Southern California man with dementia

A man considered critically missing in Riverside County was found by officers after they deployed a drone to fly over the area he had last been seen, officials announced.  

It’s unclear exactly when the incident in Desert Hot Springs occurred, with police saying in an April 5 post to Instagram that it was a “few days ago,” but officers responded to east end of the city on reports of the missing elderly male suffering from dementia.  

The man had reportedly walked away from a local care facility and despite the staff’s best efforts, they could not locate him, the Desert Hot Springs Police Department stated.  

The department’s drone team, according to the Instagram post, quickly deployed the drone.  

Coordinating with officers on the ground, the missing elderly man was located within 10 minutes of the drone team arriving on the scene. He was spotted wandering in the area and was returned safely to the care facility.  

“This incident highlights the power of coordinating between ground and air assets during critical incidents,” police added.  

A “critically” missing or “at risk” person, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, is defined as: 

• The person/child missing is the victim of a crime or foul play
• The person/child missing is in need of medical attention 
• The person/child missing has no pattern of running away or disappearing
• The person/child missing may be the victim of parental abduction
• The person/child missing is mentally or physically impaired