Texas Thermal Drone Finds Missing Alzheimer's Patient in 90 Minutes

A thermal drone operated by the Kilgore Fire Department found a missing elderly woman with Alzheimer's disease on November 4 in northern Rusk County, Texas, in the United States. She had walked away from her home and was located at an oil lease site about three-quarters of a mile (1.2 kilometers) from it. Kilgore Fire Marshal Terry Linder flew the drone and spotted her roughly 90 minutes after launch.

The search

The Elderville-Lakeport Volunteer Fire Department took the call and reached the scene near County Roads 2126 and 2126A at about 2 p.m. By then the woman had been missing for close to two hours. Deputies from the Rusk County Sheriff's Office, the Rusk County Rescue Unit and firefighters from both departments searched on the ground while Linder flew.

Linder used the drone to cover more ground than people could on foot. Once he found the woman, he passed her position to deputies, who reached her on foot. Christus EMS evaluated her at an ambulance staged nearby and took her for treatment. The departments have not released her name or said how she was doing when deputies reached her.

The Elderville-Lakeport department said the thermal camera let crews search a large area and pick out heat signatures, and that without it the outcome could have been significantly different. In total, the woman had been outside for more than three hours.

Department equipment

Kilgore Fire Department operates two multi-mission drones for fire suppression, fire investigations and searches. A department photo shows a DJI Mini 5 Pro alongside a larger folding aircraft with a thermal payload. Local reports do not name the second aircraft.

Linder was hired as Kilgore's fire marshal in December 2025. He previously served with the Kilgore Police Department, as Rusk County fire marshal and in Smith County, and he still volunteers part-time with the Elderville-Lakeport department.