Ten-year-old Peyton disappeared without a trace. She was searched for for more than 24 hours. Images from a thermal imaging camera led emergency services to a remote forest.
Baton Rouge – Ten-year-old Peyton could have had a very different story. She was just getting ready for bed when she suddenly disappeared without a trace. Despite an intensive search, she could not be found the next day either. It was only when emergency services in the USA searched a distant forest area from the air with a thermal imaging camera that she was able to be tracked down.
“Was in a dense forest”: Thanks to a drone, the missing girl was found
After more than 24 hours of worry and fear, Peyton’s purple and white pajamas suddenly appeared on the search screens. The emergency services immediately headed to the coordinates that the cameras had recorded. And indeed: the police found the missing girl in the immediate vicinity.
“She was in a dense forest about 300 meters from where she was captured by a trail camera on Sunday morning,” reports Jason Parker, the head of the Webster Parish Police Department, in a detailed statement on the police department’s Facebook page. “When we found her, she was sleeping,” adds the police chief. A large contingent of officers had previously searched for her. A man who was reunited with his family after 73 years also experienced such a moment of happiness.
The drone was also able to capture the moment of rescue. The images show the girl lying curled up between the bushes. Suddenly she raises her head, people approach her and help her up. She seems disoriented and confused. But how did Peyton get there in the first place?
Dangerous half-sleep: Why ten-year-old girl Peyton disappeared
Peyton, who comes from the US state of Louisiana, was sleepwalking. The forest where she was found is a good two and a half kilometers from her home. In the US news program Good Morning America Peyton’s parents said that the girl had sleepwalked before, but never “to this extent.”
Somnambulism, as sleepwalking is called in medical jargon, is not uncommon in children. According to the Barmer health insurance company, doctors assume that around ten to 30 percent of all children experience an episode of sleepwalking at least once in their lives. It is a sleep disorder that can be triggered by stress, emotional strain and nightmares. It is believed that it can also be genetic.
“When you sleepwalk, one part of the brain wakes up while the other remains asleep,” explains Ursula Marschall, a doctor at Barmer. During the deep sleep phase, the brain receives a wake-up stimulus; the part responsible for movement wakes up while the conscious mind remains asleep. As the AOK reports, referring to study results, people who sleepwalk can do everything they can do when awake. However, they usually move very little. However, if adults move a lot during sleep, scientific studies have shown that this can indicate dementia.
“Back home and hungry”: Peyton’s story ends happily
However, sleepwalking is not without danger. Most sufferers show a reduced perception of pain and ability to react, as well as an extreme feeling of hunger, the AOK further informs. This increases the risk of injury and poisoning.
Peyton from Louisiana was unharmed on her remarkably long and far trip. “Apart from a few mosquito bites, she is fine. It’s a miracle that she was unharmed,” said Police Chief Parker, relieved at the happy outcome of the unwanted trip. The emergency services examined her immediately after she was found. She was then handed over to her parents. “She is fine, she is back home and she is hungry.”
Unfortunately, the search for little Arian (6) ended tragically. The autistic boy was found dead just three kilometers from his parents’ house. He had probably run away on his own. six-year-old boy with disabilities from Hamburg was found safe and sound shortly after he was reported missing.
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