Drone Helps Find Missing Pine County Man

A new technology involving drones helped find the body of a missing Pine County man with dementia.

The 86-year-old man was last seen near the Nemadji State Forest, which is a vast area over 92,000 acres. Earl Bakke is retired from law enforcement and started a drone business that helps to locate missing people. He reached out the Pine County Sheriff Department to offer his services and eventually found the lost man. The drone is combined with a sophisticated map layering system.

“To be able to autonomously program a drone to go to a specific altitude, fly at a specific speed, and take pictures at a specific intervals is amazing. We have thermal, we have color, and lydar, which makes 3D maps and so forth,” he said.

Pine County Deputy Sheriff Scott Grice says even though the man was found deceased, the closure the families receive is helpful in their healing.  Deputy Grice says new technologies are always being created, and it is important to keep up with the changes. He anticipates the new hires at the department who are interested in technology having the ability to receive training in that area.

Grice said, “And by providing more training for your law enforcement officers, you also give them a little bit more buy in to the organization and they feel like they can be a go to kind of person in certain situations. You have better employees and because of that you come out as a better organization as well. ”

The use of the technology helped locate the man’s body when vast areas and foot searches have serious limitations. Drone operator Bakke says he plans to continue to help families find loved ones.  He says what keeps him going is knowing he will be there for the next family in need.