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Moore County deputies use drone to find missing child

Deputies with the Moore County Sheriff's Office used a drone Thursday night to find a missing 11-year-old.

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By
Natalie Matthews
, WRAL.com editor & Bryan Mims, WRAL anchor/reporter

Deputies with the Moore County Sheriff's Office used a drone Thursday night to find a missing 11-year-old.

Deputies were dispatched to a home off Flowers Road, in Jackson Springs, at about 10:30 p.m. and quickly began searching for the missing child.

Apparently the child and her mother had gotten into an argument and the child went out on the back porch to cool down. But when her mother went to look for her, she was gone.

Within 15 minutes of drone pilot Lt. Tim Davis arriving at the home, he located a heat signature in a wooded area approximately 100 yards from the residence across the highway. Deputies were able to find the sleeping child tucked away under some thick tree limbs and brush.

"I was very excited. Very happy that it was paying off. (The drone) is really being used for good," Davis said.

“This is a perfect example of why we invested in this drone capability,” said Sheriff Neil Godfrey. “The Moore County Sheriff’s Office is doing everything we can to ensure that we are using technology to benefit the safety of our citizens as well as our deputies. Without the drone, we would have had to employ additional resources that historically would have included a helicopter. As a parent, I am happy for the child and the family that last night’s flight was a success, and as the sheriff, I am proud of Lt. Davis and our deputies.”

Davis said this incident proves the drone was money well spent.

"First responders, fire departments, everybody can benefit from a drone," he said.

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