A 10-year-old girl was rescued after sleepwalking out of her home and becoming lost in the jungles of Louisiana, after a kind drone pilot spotted her using thermal imaging.
Payton Santignan went missing around 10 p.m. on Sept. 14 from her home near Shreveport, according to Webster County Sheriff Jason Parker. Good Morning America Monday.
The girl was reportedly sleepwalking when she wandered out of her home.
Parker said that when his office received the call, “family and neighbors had already been looking for her for about an hour” before the sheriff's office, Louisiana State Police and hundreds of volunteers joined the search for the missing girl.
A trail camera used by a hunter deep in the wilderness captured a photo of the 10-year-old girl, and it was only that image that enabled search and rescue teams to track her down.
But when drone operator Josh Clover heard about the massive search for Saint-Aignan, he wanted to help.
Clover arrived at the scene on September 15th 40 miles from his home in Arkansas using a thermal imaging drone operated by his company, Drone Management Services LLC, and began investigating the scene.
Parker said the sheriff's office helped Clover set up equipment, including a generator and a large flat-screen television, before flying the drone.
Clover found Saint-Ignan curled up in the fetal position on the ground deep in the forest about 20 minutes after the drone took off.
“I saw the purple and white pajamas she was wearing,” Clover told the outlet.
“She was just laying there. She wasn't moving and it was like everybody was just holding their breath.”
Authorities were then able to direct rescuers to her location, and minutes later, around 11 p.m., the sleepwalking girl was woken up by her best friend's father and taken to safety.
Santignan had walked more than a mile and a half from his home when he was discovered.
Ms Parker said it was “absolutely a miracle” that the 10-year-old girl was unharmed when she was found.
“Other than the mosquito bites it was perfect,” Parker said.
Paramedics and Child Protective Services examined her before she went home.
Santignan's family told police the girl was a known sleepwalker but had never left their home before.
“She was very happy to be back with her loved ones and was very happy to be home,” the sheriff told the outlet.
The exact cause of sleepwalking (also called somnambulism) is unknown.
But researchers think genetics may play a key role. Cleveland Clinic.
Sleepwalking is more common in children than adults, and most children outgrow the habit by the time they reach their teenage years.
“If one parent has a history of sleepwalking, there is a 47 percent chance that their child will also sleepwalk. If both parents have a history of sleepwalking, that risk rises to 62 percent,” says the nonprofit academic medical center.
It usually occurs 1 to 2 hours after falling asleep.
It is believed to be genetic in most cases, but it can also be caused by other factors, such as stress, lack of sleep, disrupted sleep schedules, brain-related illnesses, and medications such as Ambien and Lopressor.
