On an evening late in August, a 3-year-old child went missing. While the toddler was at home, the circumstances weren’t so simple. The Wisconsin family lives on a large farm in Alto, a township on the outskirts of Fond du Lac. As darkness set in, the parents frantically searched nearby barns and buildings. They called on local police for help after realizing their child had wandered off into their 100-plus-acre cornfield.

Deputies from the Fond du Lac Sheriff’s Office responded but quickly realized they needed advanced help due to the size of the area and nighttime conditions. They requested a thermal drone from the department’s Technology Response Group.

According to the press release and drone footage the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office shared, while the Alto Fire Department began a systematic search of the cornfield, the drone operator scanned the field with thermal cameras.

At about 9:30 p.m., the drone detected a heat source deep in the field.

Guided by the thermal drone operator, deputies and firefighters made their way to the child. By 9:46 p.m., they reached the child, who was shaken but uninjured.

The toddler wandered about half a mile from the home. The child was safely reunited with their parents back at the farm, ending the evening on a positive note.

Manufacturers equip drones with various battery and remote ranges, camera qualities, and flight capabilities. Depending on its specs and features, a thermal drone can cost several hundred dollars to many thousands. At the higher end, think $10,000-plus. Personal and professional operators use thermal drones for anything from deer or other animal hunts to personal security and, as the Fond du Lac Sheriff’s Office calls it, “hide-and-seek.”

According to sources, the toddler stuck in the cornfield had followed a cat into the maze. Thanks to the thermal drone, first responders saved precious time and manpower locating the child.