Michigan officials located a missing two-year-old alive and well in a freezing cold ditch using a helicopter and a heat-seeking camera.
The Blackman-Leoni Department of Public Safety responded to a call about the child in Blackman Township, about 77 miles west of Detroit, on Sunday.
The boy was last seen watching television in the living room around 8.43pm and his caregivers reported him missing about an hour later.
Several units responded to search for the child, including the Blackman-Leoni K-9 unit, Michigan State Police K-9 unit and an MSP helicopter.
Officials and community members combed through the area for nearly two hours. A break in the case came around 11.33pm, when a trooper using the heat-seeking technology found the child in a ditch, curled up and only wearing a diaper.
Police said the child was cold but alert and conscious.
Emergency responders transported him to the Henry Ford Jackson Hospital for evaluation and he was determined to be in good condition.
Police touted the technology’s use as a major factor in recovering the child. The trooper had only been using it for 15 minutes before he was located.
The trooper then directed ground units to where the child was. Footage released by the department shows officers comforting the child as they wait for medical professionals.
