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.
Baker said they knew the man's normal daily walking route, but they feared he may have gone beyond his usual path.
Volunteer and cofounder of the Aerial Response team, Justin 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.
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 or what may have contributed to him going missing.
Kenny Ratliff, the Branch Leader of the Task Force Search and Rescue Team, said "we were literally hours away from a likely very tragic outcome." He praised La Grange Police and the Task Force for their urgency in finding the man.
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