OKALOOSA COUNTY, Fla. — The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office has presented its Life Saving Award to a deputy whose drone deployment helped locate a missing 90-year-old woman in the dark within minutes of a 911 call.
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The award was presented to Corporal Charles Donovan for his actions during the December 28, 2025, incident in a rural area of Okaloosa County.
According to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO), deputies received a report that evening of a missing elderly woman suffering from dementia and mobility limitations.
The woman had reportedly left her residence wearing only thin pajamas and had not returned. Darkness had already fallen, temperatures were dropping, and limited lighting in the area significantly increased the danger to her safety.
Corporal Donovan arrived within minutes.
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While additional deputies gathered information, Donovan reportedly requested specialized resources and deployed his Unmanned Aircraft System.
Within approximately 10 minutes of arrival, the drone located the missing woman lying on the ground behind a nearby residence, the OCSO said.
Mr Donovan is said to have positioned the aircraft to illuminate her location, allowing responding deputies to reach her quickly. She was located less than 25 minutes after the initial 911 call.
According to the OCSO, the woman had fallen while attempting to assist her dog and was unable to get back up. She complained of severe pain and was very cold after being on the ground in the dark.
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Given her age, medical condition, limited mobility, and exposure to the elements, the situation presented what the OCSO described as a serious and imminent threat to her life.
The lighting conditions and terrain reportedly would have made a traditional ground search significantly more time-consuming.
“In this case, minutes truly mattered,” the agency stated.
The OCSO said Corporal Donovan’s quick thinking, technical proficiency, and decisive action directly prevented what could have been a tragic outcome.
