UAV helps locate missing and injured Redding camper, 59

September 15, 2020 Trevor Montgomery

REDDING, Calif. — “Injured, dehydrated, and confused,” a 59-year-old Redding man was rescued from a remote campsite along the Sacramento River Trail after his spouse reported he had become injured and failed to return home Monday, Sept. 14. The victim had last been seen two days earlier when he went on a solo-camping trip to test out some new camping equipment, according to Redding PD.

Because the campsite where the victim was found was hidden among tall vegetation along the south side of the river and “could not be seen from either the trail or nearby river and was only visible from above,” officers used an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle to search the area. With help from footage obtained by the small, hobby-style drone, the man was eventually located, rescued and brought to safety.

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Redding Police Department was first alerted to the crisis about 9:20 a.m., Monday morning, after a woman reported her husband, 59-year-old, Thomas Daly, of Redding, had become injured while camping and had not returned home, Redding Police Field Operations Sgt. Eric Forsberg said after the successful rescue.

The woman told responding officers that her husband had decided to go camping to test some camping equipment along the Sacramento River Trail on Saturday, Sept. 12.

“He later called his wife on Sunday and told her that he was okay, but had fallen and injured himself,” explained Fosberg.

Due to the heavy foliage and vegetation, Redding PD used one of the department’s Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to locate a 59-year-old Redding man who was injured during a solo-camping trip along the Sacramento River. Although “injured, dehydrated, and confused,” the victim was safely rescued and later reunited with his wife at an area hospital where he was treated for his injuries and overall condition.

Officers immediately responded to the area where Daly was believed to be camping and deployed officials on off-road motorcycles to begin searching the area’s trails.

Due to heavy vegetation, officers also deployed one of the department’s Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to search for the missing man from above.

Several hours later, at around 2:30 p.m., officers piloting the UAV spotted a camp hidden among tall vegetation along the south side of the Sacramento River Trail, about 1.5 miles west of Court St.

“The camp was only visible from the air and could not be seen … from either the trail or the river,” explained Fosberg.

With help from guidance provided from the UAV operators, officers on the ground soon located Daly, who was “injured, dehydrated, and confused” according to the Sgt.

After reaching Daly, officers helped him from the heavily wooded area and brought him to awaiting medical personnel. After being assessed at the scene, he was then transported to a local hospital where he was reunited with his wife.

SEE RELATED: Redding PD’s UAVs prove critical during major incidents

Redding PD’s use of UAVs began mid-2018 after the department received a $25,000 donation from Bethel Church the year before. Ongoing funds for the program, which costs about $2,000 a year to operate and maintain, comes from of the City’s general fund and is a tiny fraction of the cost of owning and maintaining a helicopter.

“Redding Police Department now uses several UAVs, which are specifically used to provide an enhanced aerial perspective during in-progress critical incidents,” Redding Police Sgt. Chris Smyrnos told SCNS last year.

“With specialized aircraft, operators are able to quickly deploy for an aerial overview of incidents, location of suspects, up-to-the-minute intelligence, crime scene evidence identification, and crime scene photography,” Smyrnos said at the time; adding that the UAVs have “proved invaluable”. Not only in helping officers investigating active and in-progress crimes and emergencies, but for other critical incidents and community disasters as well.

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Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 49, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, (the now defunct) Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.