Heartwarming rescue of missing toddler who spent an hour lost in 6ft cornfield – hear his adorable message to cops
Newly released footage shows the incredible moment a drone camera successfully locates a three-year-old child who responds, “I found a cat,” after being lost for an hour in a massive Wisconsin cornfield.
The toddler’s parents called 911 to the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office after the child went missing in the 100-acre standing cornfield behind their home on Aug. 25.
When officers arrived on scene, they found the boy had last been seen around 7:30 a.m. There was no sign of him in the family’s barns or buildings.
To expand the search, the sheriff’s office has requested the assistance of officers from the Alto Fire Department and a drone operator from the Fond du Lac Police Department.
Newly released footage shows the incredible moment a drone camera successfully locates a three-year-old child lost in a massive Wisconsin cornfield
Police said in a Facebook post that the drone was a significant aid in “navigating the conditions and covering a large area in a shorter period of time.”
Nearly two hours after the child disappeared, footage shows the moment the drone found a warm spot in the middle of the cornfield, which was identified as the toddler.
Within seconds, Fond du Lac County officers and firefighters waded into the cornfield to get to the child and were able to rescue him.
One of the first responders could quickly be heard reassuring the child, saying to him, “We’re here buddy, we’re here for you. You’re safe now. You’re okay. We’re going to go back and find your mom, okay?”
The young boy was found half a mile from his home, without any injuries
While being held in the rescuer’s arms, the toddler said he “found a cat” and went after it
While being held in the rescuer’s arms, the toddler said he “found a cat” and chased after it.
The boy was found a kilometer away from his home, without any injuries.
After the rescue, Lt. Alex Volm of the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office said said: “It’s an innocent thing, but it could have turned out very badly if we hadn’t had the opportunity to use our resources and work with our law enforcement partners.”
Authorities also noted on social media after: ‘Incidents like this highlight the importance of technology and law enforcement cooperation in our community.
‘Without the use of the thermal drone, it would have likely taken hours for officers and other responders to search the entire cornfield and the outcome could have been different. Below is the full press release and thermal video from the drone.’