"A Miraculous Rescue"...Teen Missing Girl Found in Forest Using Drone Search

Missing American teenage girl found during forest search
Drone expert launched search after hearing about disappearance
Sleeping soundly on the ground... "A miraculous rescue"

A 10-year-old American girl who went missing due to sleepwalking was safely rescued after being found by a drone equipped with a thermal imaging camera. On the 25th (local time), the New York Post reported, "Payton Saintinang (10), who suffered from sleepwalking, went missing around 10 p.m. on the 14th near a forest close to her home in Shreveport, Louisiana."

Search screen of drone pilot Josh Clover. [Image source=Drone Management Services]

When Payton was captured on a trail camera used by hunters, the sheriff, Louisiana state police, and hundreds of volunteers began searching the forest together. Among them, drone pilot Josh Clover joined the search after hearing about Payton's disappearance. He launched a drone equipped with a thermal imaging camera and found Payton within 20 minutes.

Despite the somewhat chaotic situation, Payton was curled up on the ground in the dense forest, sound asleep. It was determined that Payton, who usually experiences sleepwalking symptoms, had walked about 2.4 km away from her home while asleep. Jason Parker, sheriff of Webster Parish, Louisiana, said, "Other than mosquito bites, Payton was in perfect condition," calling her safe discovery a "miracle."

Sleepwalking is classified as a genuine sleep disorder, not just a simple sleep habit. Most sleepwalkers are children aged 8 to 12, but sleepwalking experienced in childhood can continue into adulthood. About 80% of sleepwalkers are known to have a family history, and if sleepwalking symptoms persist beyond adolescence into adulthood, appropriate treatment is necessary. According to a study last year by Professor Yoon Chang-ho and Professor Lee Woo-jin of the Department of Neurology at Bundang Seoul National University Hospital and Professor Shin Cheol of the Sleep Disorder Center at Korea University Ansan Hospital, more than one in ten people (15.9%) aged 50 to 80 in Korea were found to be in the prodromal stage of REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep behavior disorder, a type of sleepwalking.

Risk factors for sleepwalking include chronic sleep deprivation, hyperthyroidism, head injuries, migraines, sleep apnea, premenstrual syndrome, and excessive alcohol consumption. Sleepwalking can also be triggered by psychiatric medication, loud noises, or external stimuli such as light.