A 78-year-old man went missing after going to get the mail, California officials said. Then a drone spotted his motionless body in thick brush, according to a Dec. 23 Facebook post by Malibu Search and Rescue. The man, who has early onset dementia, left his home Dec. 23 at 4:30 p.m. to get the mail but never returned, officials said.

A missing 78-year-old California man was found alive through the use of drones in what authorities are calling a holiday “miracle.”

A 78-year-old man was rescued after LASD search and rescue teams used infrared heat-seeking drones to find him.

The Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff's Department is conducting a live demonstration on Friday of the Unmanned Aerial System with thermal imaging that was recently used to rescue a 78-year-old man with dementia.