Click here to watch a video of the rescue.
A Collier County sheriff's deputy aboard a CCSO helicopter found an 80-year-old North Naples woman just two hours after she was reported missing early Tuesday, allowing deputies to bring her in from temperatures that dipped well into the 40s.
Linda Floros, 132 Cypress Way East, Unit 205, was found in the woods about 200 yards from her home shortly after 2 a.m. She had been reported missing around midnight.
The helicopter spotted her with the help of an infrared camera that illuminated her in the darkness. The helicopter found her about seven minutes into the air search."Once they located her they contacted K-9 units on the ground and told them where she was," said Lt. Mark Cherney. "We were fortunate that in this case the helicopter was able to find her within a matter of minutes."
Cherney said CCSO helicopters search from a height of 500 to 700 feet. The camera works by detecting the difference in temperature between items in the background and the person who is the focus of the search.In addition to the helicopter, units from patrol and K-9 were looking for Floros.
Because of the frigid weather, Floros was checked by EMS medics before being returned safely to her family.
