How search and rescue technology helps find missing people — and its role in MMIP cases

The first 24 hours after a person is reported missing are the most critical. This window requires immediate action. Emergency alerts can be activated if the missing person fits the requirements. Feather alerts are used in North Dakota when an Indigenous person is reported missing, but to meet the criteria, the missing person must be 18 or older and believed to be in “grave danger.”

Once reported, flyers with information are sent out, often including the person’s date of birth and last known location, along with a photo.

From there, law enforcement, tribal police, emergency management teams and volunteers come together to establish potential search locations, based on where the missing person was last seen and where they were believed to be going. The pinpoints are the starting point for a grid search, where geographic knowledge of the area is important for understanding where to search and the tools to use.

A search and rescue operation begins with a leading agency. In the case of the most recent search for Bullhead, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe identified Badlands Search and Rescue as the lead for the search. The organization attended prior searches for Bullhead and has extensive knowledge of search and rescue techniques.

Having a command center is crucial. It’s a central meeting point for the search team, with emergency services such as an ambulance and police officer on standby. It also serves as a communication center for searchers to radio with updates. Multiple jurisdictions are often present, since tribal, state and federal agencies often work together in MMIP cases.

The role of volunteers is also key. Volunteers often provide knowledge of the terrain and extra resources, such as horses, drones and UTVs. Volunteers increase the number of people searching, which also increases the number of locations that can be searched. Once a search team is formed, drones, scent dogs and sonar technology are often used to expand its reach.

Scent tracking is done using specially trained search and rescue dogs. The dogs are given an item belonging to the missing person and then are able to follow a scent trail left by that person. Some dogs are trained to detect human scent particles from wind gusts.

Recently, equine air-scent detection has become more popular in MMIP searches. This technique uses horses’ heightened sense of smell and ability to cover large ground to search. Both scent tracking dogs and horses were at the Oct. 30 search for Bullhead.

Thomas Corona works for Holding Hope Two Powers Land Collective, an Indigenous-led organization that uses certified scent detection horses to locate missing people. Corona said horses have a unique advantage in searches because when they smell, their nostrils flare up, allowing them to smell even better over time, as opposed to tracking dogs, which pant and need breaks to cool off. Cadaver horses and dogs are also used in missing person cases when the search team is looking for remain, as they can detect the scent of human decomposition.

While useful, these tools don’t come without difficulty. Weather conditions, contamination and how handlers interpret their animal’s behavior are all potential roadblocks to someone being found.

When an Indigenous person goes missing, tribal police and community volunteers often lead the first ground searches in partnership with K-9 units from neighboring county or state law enforcement agencies.

Drones equipped with thermal or infrared cameras have the ability to cover large areas in a short amount of time, making them key tools in search and rescue. Thermal imaging drones are able to detect heat signatures from people or recently used vehicles. Drones also have night vision, which allows for detection even in conditions, like fog, that could impede the search.

Drones, aircrafts and satellites are also used to create aerial grids on a map so teams can mark areas that have already been searched.

Some drones can be purchased for less than $50 from retail stores such as Walmart and Amazon, making them a cost effective and easily accessible tool for volunteer groups performing drone search and rescue. Challenges in using drones include battery life, tree cover, wind and flight restrictions.

Sonar technology is an underwater technology also common in search and rescues. Sonar uses sound waves to map underwater terrain and identify objects and has been used to locate vehicles, debris and human remains. It is vital for searching rivers and lakes, which are common search points in the Northern Plains.

Sonar equipment is operated by many different groups, including tribal partners, county dive teams or volunteer recovery groups such as Badlands Search and Rescue. Sonar technology sends out sound waves underwater and uses the returning echoes to create maps and imagery. From the images, experts can analyze depth, terrain and locate objects.

In the search for Bullhead, boats used down-looking sonars, which focused on depth beneath a boat to search the bottoms of rivers and other bodies of water. This is not to be confused with side-scan sonar, which sweeps broad areas for shapes.

While technology is an important tool that supports searches, it doesn’t replace local knowledge and cooperation. All search and rescue operations have a common feature: community. Searches are grounded in human connection, with families, volunteers and law enforcement coming together with a shared goal.

At the search for Bullhead, volunteers, relatives and tribal officials across states shared a sack lunch before shrugging their vests back on and setting out once again.