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Thermal imaging tech helps PGPD locate missing 72-year-old
When there’s an emergency, time is of the essence, and with the help of a high-flying hero, Prince George’s County Police were able to make an incredible rescue. FOX 5's Sierra Fox has the story.
When there’s an emergency, time is of the essence, and with the help of a high-flying hero, Prince George’s County Police were able to make an incredible rescue.
On Monday, the agency put out a post on X, stating that 72-year-old Gwyneth Borden went missing around 8:30 a.m. from Nottingham Road in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.
She was found just hours later before sunset, close to home.
Aerial video from the guardian helicopter shows that amazing moment.
It’s the Tactical Flight Officer’s voice, Corporal Jessica Johnson, who you hear communicating from the sky with the missing person’s unit detectives scouring below on foot.
"A little bit shocking and very relieving," said Johnson. "With the time frame that had passed, we weren’t very sure how long it was going to take us to find her, if she was even still in the area."
The Guardian uses a powerful thermal imaging camera to scan the landscape from above and light up areas hidden from ground view. It can detect body heat with accuracy to a specific degree.
"That’s our pride and joy honestly," said Johnson.
All of a sudden, what was moving around in the farmland and thick woods suddenly became more and more clear. That’s when the breakthrough happened.
"For a moment, I wasn’t sure if it was a search team because I saw khaki pants and then when I confirmed with the detectives of what she was wearing, they said yes, that’s her," said Johnson. "She was alone. She was kind of walking around. She did look a little disoriented, and I was like okay, that’s her, and I directed officers in."
She says it was truly a team effort.
Due to this advanced technology and the quick-thinking of officers, what could’ve been a tragedy turned into a miracle.
"Sometimes we can miss things, we can miss people. If it happened to be mid-summer, the tree canopy is a lot thicker. We wouldn’t have necessarily been able to find her," Johnson said.
Prince George’s County police say it’s successful missions like this that remind them why they do this work.