MISSOURI STATE HIGHWAY PATROL
a division of the
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY

Troop I Headquarters, P.O. Box 128, Rolla, Mo 65402


News Release

For further information please contact: Sergeant Dan Crain
573-368-2345
April 16, 2014
I04B14

EMPHASIS: Patrol Helicopter Locates Assault Victim



On the night of April 12, 2014, Crawford County Sheriff's Department deputies and Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers responded to a reported assault in Southern Crawford County, near Cook Station. The investigation led officers to believe that the assault victim was likely in a wooded area off Delcour Road near the Meramec River. Given the scope of the search area and the likelihood the victim may have sustained serious injuries, a Highway Patrol helicopter was called to assist.
At approximately 3 a.m., April 13, 2014, a Patrol Bell 407 Helicopter equipped with a 'FLIR' (forward looking infra-red) thermal imaging device arrived on scene. After unsuccessfully searching the area requested by the officers on the ground, the pilot and the tactical flight officer on board made the decision to widen the area of the search. At approximately 3:35 a.m., the troopers in the aircraft noted that the FLIR indicated the presence of a heat source in an open field. As the crew continued to monitor this heat source while circling, the officers observed what appeared to be a person waving at the helicopter from the location of the heat source. The troopers in the aircraft were then able to guide the officers on the ground to the location of the heat source, where the assault victim was located.
The investigation of the assault is being conducted by the Crawford County Sheriff's Department.
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