Man missing 29 hours found in Oldham County by search teams with thermal camera

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A thermal camera was credited with finding a man who went missing in the freezing weather in Oldham County over the weekend.

In a news release Tuesday, the South Oldham Fire Department said the Oldham County Task Force was brought in to help Saturday, Dec. 20, when the La Grange man had been missing from his home in the Cherry Creek neighborhood for more than 24 hours.

A Golden Alert was issued because of the dangerously cold temperatures and the amount of time the man had been missing.

"The amount of time that had passed since the subject left his home the previous day, combined with approaching nightfall and very cold temperatures, led to the decision to request additional assets to the scene," Ballardsville Fire Assistant Chief Ryan Baker said. "Another night in these temperatures would likely not have been survivable."

The Aerial Response Team launched multiple drones for a tactical search by air while the Task Force initiated a systematic search on the ground.

"In the drone world a lot of the times we'll fly large, hard to explore areas so that the ground teams can be used at other locations where they'll be more available," said Justin Hilliard, volunteer and cofounder of the Aerial Response team.

Baker said they knew the man's normal daily walking route, but they feared he may have gone beyond his usual path.

Hilliard deployed a DJI Mavic 3 Thermal drone from two separate positions. Hilliard found a heat signature in a heavily wooded area that he described as looking like "a circular bag."

A firefighter went into the brush between Gustavo's restaurant and the Richwood Nursing Home. That's where they found the man.

"I almost froze at that point because with the temperatures in the 20s the night before, being out there 29 hours, that's pretty incredible to find someone alive," Hilliard said.

The man was able to walk to a waiting ATV so Oldham County EMS could take him to Baptist Hospital La Grange. No additional information was given about the man, his condition.

Hilliard said they believe he was walking a path he walks regularly and may have taken a wrong turn, ending up on a hill in the woods.

"We were literally hours away from a likely very tragic outcome," said Kenny Ratliff, the branch leader of the Task Force Search and Rescue Team.

Ratliff praised La Grange Police and the Task Force for their urgency in finding the man.

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