Infrared footage from helicopter shows rescue of 71-year-old woman

A 71-year-old woman who had medical issues disappeared from her Palm River home Tuesday. Neighborhoods around Fish Lake Road were scoured. K-9 deputies sniffed for a lead.

But an infrared glow from a seach helicopter would find her in knee-deep water in a canal near her home, as seen in the rescue footage from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies had searched for seven hours before sheriff’s pilot Jeff Gray and tactical flight officer Manny Feller honed in on a heat source, the sheriff’s office reported. Two deputies, Nick Elliott and Brett Seigler, were on the ground to rescue her.

“She was cold, confused and covered with insect bites,” the sheriff’s office wrote in a description of the rescue video.

The woman was safely returned to her family.

This story was originally published July 13, 2017 at 12:43 PM with the headline "Infrared footage from helicopter shows rescue of 71-year-old woman."