A 64-year-old man with a serious medical condition who had been missing in the Yellow Banks Wildlife Management Area in northeast Nebraska for more than two days has been found safe.
Deputies from the Madison County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a missing person at the 664-acre wildlife area, located between Battle Creek and Meadow Grove on Sunday at 2:15 p.m. Deputies began to search the area south of the Elkhorn River after friends and family of the man reported they had not spoken to him for three days.
Just before nightfall Sunday, a drone identified a heat signature beneath a log structure and search teams then quickly located the man and provided immediate medical assistance, according to a statement Monday from Madison County Sheriff Todd Volk. The man, whose name was not released, was transported by Battle Creek Rescue to Faith Regional Health Services in Norfolk for evaluation.
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The man’s medical condition can cause confusion and disorientation, Volk said. A friend camping in the area recognized the man’s vehicle parked nearby Saturday morning and notified authorities Sunday after he was unable to locate his friend.
“This was a time-sensitive situation, and all first responders did an outstanding job during this critical incident,” Volk said.
Without the drones, locating the missing man would have been much more difficult, Volk said. He also thanked the many agencies and individuals involved for their quick action in bringing this search to a successful conclusion.
Those involved in the search effort included Norfolk fire and police units, the Madison County drone team, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and Battle Creek Fire and Rescue. Searchers deployed drones, all-terrain vehicles and foot patrols.
kevin.cole@owh.com, 402-444-1272
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