A drone with thermal capabilities captures a lost boy inside a corn field on Marshview Road in the town of Alto, August 25, 2024. (Image courtesy of Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Office)
ALTO, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) –A quick drone response played a key role in the rescue of a three-year-old boy lost in a Fond du Lac County corn field.
Just before 9 p.m., on Aug. 25, deputies received a call from a parent who said their son may have wandered off in a 100+ acre corn field behind their house on Marshview Road in the town of Alto.
When deputies arrived, they learned the child was last seen around 7:30 p.m. and all the barns and buildings on the property had been thoroughly searched.
Given the night time conditions and large area to be searched, deputies quickly brought in a drone with thermal capabilities.
The Alto Fire Department started a systematic search of the standing corn and the drone operator with the Fond du Lac Police Department started scanning the area with the drone.
At approximately 9:30 p.m. the drone located a heat spot in the middle of the corn field and was able to walk a Fond du Lac County deputy and fire personal into the corn field to location of the possible missing child.
At 9:46 p.m. deputies located the child and he was uninjured. The child was carried out of the corn field and then driven back to the farm where he was reunited with his parents. The child was approximately a half mile away from home when he was located.
Officials say the boy told them he went into the field to follow a cat.
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