Minneapolis Police Drone Locates Missing 82-Year-Old Veteran in 9 Minutes After Ground Search Fails for Over 3 Hours
The Minneapolis Police Department released footage showing a thermal-equipped drone locating missing 82-year-old veteran Bob Stewart in a creek valley in just 9 minutes — after ground crews had searched fruitlessly for more than 3.5 hours. The release comes as the city council considers a 75-day Skydio 'Drone as First Responder' pilot program.
Highlights
- A Minneapolis Police Department thermal drone located missing 82-year-old veteran Bob Stewart in a creek valley in just 9 minutes.
- Ground search teams had spent over 3.5 hours searching the same area without success before the drone was deployed.
- The Minneapolis City Council is currently reviewing a 75-day Drone as First Responder (DFR) pilot program using Skydio drones.
- Thermal imaging technology enabled the drone to detect Stewart's body heat through dense vegetation that blocked ground-level visual searches.
- Police released the rescue footage strategically during the council's deliberations on the DFR pilot program.
Minneapolis Police Drone Finds Missing Veteran in 9 Minutes, Bolstering Case for Skydio DFR Pilot
The Minneapolis Police Department has released compelling drone rescue footage showing a thermal-imaging-equipped police drone locating 82-year-old missing veteran Bob Stewart in a creek valley in just 9 minutes — after ground search teams had spent more than three and a half hours on the scene without success.
Thermal Imaging Proves Critical
Thermal camera technology was the decisive factor in this rescue. Stewart had fallen into a creek valley with dense surrounding vegetation, making visual ground-level searches extremely difficult. The drone, operating from above, was able to rapidly identify Stewart's body heat signature through the foliage, dramatically cutting the time to locate him.
City Council Reviews 75-Day Pilot Program
The timing of the footage release carries clear policy significance. The Minneapolis City Council is currently deliberating on a 75-day Drone as First Responder (DFR) pilot program using aircraft from U.S. drone manufacturer Skydio.
The DFR concept involves deploying drones to an incident scene ahead of officers or other emergency responders to conduct reconnaissance or locate subjects — buying critical response time before personnel arrive on the ground.
A Stark Contrast in Response Times
The contrast in this case is striking: ground teams spent 3.5 hours without result, while the drone completed the same task in 9 minutes. The incident provides powerful real-world evidence for advocates pushing the DFR pilot forward. As more such cases emerge, law enforcement agencies across the United States are paying close attention to the role drones can play in emergency search and rescue operations.
The city council has not yet issued a final decision on the 75-day pilot, but this rescue is expected to feature prominently in the ongoing deliberations.
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