Bullitt County Sheriff’s Office use drone to find missing Shepherdsville woman

SHEPHERDSVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - Four days after receiving a drone, the Bullitt County Sheriff’s Office has used the aerial platform to located a missing person.

On Friday, Shepherdsville Police responded to a call of missing person in a wooded area. The family of the missing woman told police they searched for almost two hours before calling for assistance.

Technology is increasing the success rates of finding missing persons. Bullitt County Sergeant Chris Hill used the department’s new drone to locate the woman in 15 minutes.

“I was able to take this and go directly over top of where we located her,” Hill said. “From there, officers were able to walk directly to her.”

This mission is the first deployment of the department’s newest drone. It can locate people in rain and inclement weather. The drone also uses heat sensing technology.

Using drones for missing person cases increases law enforcement agency’s ability to search large areas thoroughly despite weather conditions and lighting concerns.

“We had the little girl out here a couple years ago where we searched large areas for days before she was located,” Hill said. “We had to use drones, but I don’t think it had the capabilities like this one does.”

Bullitt County Chief Deputy Alex Payne believes that drone technology paired with law enforcement is one of the best tools to come out in the 21st century.

“It helps preserve and helps save life,” Payne said. “That’s what we are in the business of. Anything that we can have that will help us accomplish that goal is an easy get for us.”

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