A Louisiana community is relieved after a little girl who disappeared into the woods on September 14 was found safe.
Authorities with the Webster Parish Sheriff’s Office said ten-year-old Peyton Saintignan went missing from her home near Shreveport around 10:00 p.m. after sleepwalking into a wooded area, ABC 13 reported on Monday.
Webster Parish Sheriff Jason Parker said that when his office learned the child was missing, her family and neighbors had already started searching for her. Police and hundreds of volunteers joined the effort.
In addition, Josh Klober, the co-owner of Drone Management Services, LLC, drove from Arkansas to Louisiana to help, bringing with him a drone equipped with a thermal imaging camera.
An image from a trail camera shows Peyton walking toward some trees:
The search for Peyton continued until 11:00 p.m. on September 15, when the drone zeroed in on the child, who was curled up and sleeping on the ground in the woods. She had wandered just over a mile from her home.
The drone video shows the child lying on the ground, but she is not moving. At first, it alarms searchers, but then Peyton slowly lifts her head.
“She’s awake!” someone from behind the camera shouts as a rescuer approaches the little girl and pulls her into his arms. “They got her!” another person exclaims:
Klober later told Inside Edition, “Yeah, it was pretty emotional for everybody.” He added, “I had the spotlight on her, obviously, and I kept the spotlight on her so the authorities could find their way in. They could just look up, see the drone, and then see where the spotlight was pointing.”
Parker said Peyton had some mosquito bites but was otherwise unharmed. Her family said she had sleepwalked before but never left their home. First responders and Child Protective Services also checked her following the ordeal.
In a social media post on September 16, the sheriff’s office posted photos of the drone footage and Peyton once she had been found safe:
Ten-year-old Peyton Saintignan is safe and back at home after a day long search Sunday involving many law enforcement…
Posted by Webster Parish Sheriff's Office on Sunday, September 15, 2024
“I can’t tell you how thrilled we all are to have a happy ending to this. A lot of prayers were answered today. And I want especially to thank all the agencies who helped bring Peyton safely home and all the volunteers who gave their time and efforts,” Parker said. “This was truly a cooperative effort.”
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.