Troopers speak out after using heat cam to rescue 2-year-old at night
First responders in Michigan are speaking out after they used heat-seeking technology to rescue a 2-year-old toddler at night.
The child's parents had reported their son missing at around 8 p.m. on April 5 in Blackman Charter Township, about an hour outside of Detroit.
"The child was in the living room. They walked out. They come back a few minutes later and the door to the apartment unit was open," Michigan State Trooper Brandon Franklin, a tactical flight officer, explained.
State troopers in Jackson County jumped into action, using an infrared helicopter camera in their search effort, a tool they said was a major factor in the mission's success.
Authorities said the mission was critical since temperatures in Michigan dipped into the 40s on Saturday night and the parents said their toddler was only wearing a diaper at the time.
"Later on at night, it dropped below freezing," Franklin said. "So if no one would have found this child, the outcome would not have been the same most likely."
Michigan State Police Sgt. Cole Martin and Franklin were already in the air when they got the call.
"En route, we said, 'We got to find this baby as soon as possible.' We have children of our own," Franklin recalled.
"We weren't leaving until we found that child," Martin added.
After searching for 15 minutes, Martin and Franklin said they saw something moving in a ditch, just off a highway.
In camera footage released by Michigan State Police, one of the troopers can be heard saying, "We got him!"
The toddler was found conscious and alert and taken to an area hospital before reuniting with his parents.
"When we found that child, first thing we do, if we find anyone, we go, we high five in the air and then we say, 'Yeah!'" Franklin said.
Martin said he was "happy to have been there."
"We train for this and make sure that we leave with happy endings and don't fall short of that," Martin added.
