What started as a terrifying night turned into a story of hope when a 10-year-old girl was miraculously rescued after wandering into the dense Louisiana woods while sleepwalking.
It was around 10:00PM on September 14 when young Peyton Saintignan was reported missing from her home near Shreveport.
Her family quickly realized she was missing and began searching, but after an hour, panic set in.
The Webster Parish Sheriff’s Office, Louisiana State Police, and hundreds of volunteers soon joined the frantic search to find Peyton, the New York Post reports.
The twist? Peyton wasn’t awake when she wandered off — she was sleepwalking.
A trail camera deep in the wilderness provided the first lead, capturing an eerie image of the girl moving through the woods. It was a glimmer of hope, but the woods were vast, and time was running out.
Enter drone operator Josh Klober - from Drone Management Services LLC of Magnolia - who heard about the search and felt compelled to help. Traveling 40 miles from his home in Arkansas, Klober arrived with a drone equipped with thermal imaging, ready to make a difference.
The stakes couldn’t have been higher. The search party had been combing the area for hours, and every minute counted. As Klober set up his equipment, the sheriff’s department connected his drone to a large flat-screen TV, turning the dense woods into a digital landscape.
Just 20 minutes after taking flight, Klober’s drone spotted something — a tiny figure, curled up in the fetal position, wearing purple and white pajamas. It was Peyton.
“We saw the purple and white pajamas that she had been wearing,” Klober recalled to Good Morning America. “She was laying there. She wasn’t moving, and everybody was just kind of holding their breath.”
Incredibly, Peyton had walked over 1.5 miles from her home before the drone located her. Rescuers were immediately directed to her location, and Peyton was woken up by her best friend’s dad around 11:00PM. Remarkably, the 10-year-old was completely unharmed, save for a few mosquito bites.
Sheriff Jason Parker couldn’t believe the outcome. “It’s truly a miracle,” he said. “Other than some mosquito bites, she was perfect.”
Peyton’s family later revealed that she was a known sleepwalker, but she had never left the house before. Understandably, they were overwhelmed with relief to have her back safe and sound. “She was very happy to go back to her loved ones and was very glad to go back home,” Sheriff Parker shared.
Sleepwalking, or somnambulism, is still something of a mystery to scientists. According to the Cleveland Clinic, genetics likely plays a role, with some children growing out of the behavior by their teenage years. “If one parent has a history of sleepwalking, their child has a 47% chance of also doing it,” the clinic notes, adding that stress, sleep deprivation, and medications can also contribute to sleepwalking episodes.
While sleepwalking might seem harmless, Peyton’s story is a reminder of how quickly things can turn dangerous. But thanks to modern technology, quick-thinking rescue teams, and a little bit of luck, this story has a happy ending.
What's more, Drone Management Services has since revealed that it has received an overwhelming amount of support from the public, with people keen to donate in order to help them grow.
So next time you hear about drones being used for more than just photography, remember—sometimes, they’re the real heroes.
