| On November 4, 1996, at approximately 4:30 p.m. twenty two month old Trevor Lewin wandered away from a ranch house and got lost in a heavily wooded ravine near Chadron, Nebraska. Trevor's mother, Wendy Lewin contacted the Dawes County Sheriff's Department, and a search for the boy was initiated. Search and rescue workers put in a request for helicopter support from the South Dakota Army National Guard. Agent John Walker with the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigations was also requested to employ a hand-held thermal imager. Agent Walker responded to the South Dakota National Guard Air Facility at Rapid City Regional Airport where he was met by Lieutenant Colonel Dale Clelland, Major Ted Johnson, CWO Francis Effenberger and SFC Bruce Abrams. Also assisting the UH-1H flight crew at the airport was CWO Steve Oberg. At approximately 10:15 p.m., pilots CWO Effenberger and Lt. Col. Clelland, crew chief SFC Abrams, Maj. Johnson and Agent Walker departed the airport and arrived at the scene at 10:59 p.m. An intensive ground search was still being conducted by various search and rescue teams, law enforcement and civilian personnel. Agent Walker began imaging the area with an Agema 510 thermal imaging device out of the rear area of the huey. At approximately 12:00 midnight while working an area to the north of the Lewin ranch, Agent Walker noted an abnormal or a hot spot that appeared to be a small person up against a tree. The pilots maneuvered the helicopter back over the area in hopes of relocating the spot. The helicopter was then landed approximately 50 yards from the location where Agent Walker originally got the image. Agent Walker and Major Johnson walked to the area where they believed they had received the image. Due to darkness and rough terrain, they were unable to locate the exact spot. Ground search crews came to the area and after their arrival the helicopter departed in hopes of relocating the hot spot observed earlier. At approximately 1:30 a.m. a very cold and scared, but unharmed young boy, was located in the area close to where Agent Walker first noticed the hot spot. The temperatures the evening of the search were in the low 20's and teens. The child was dressed in a light jumper sweat-suit at the time of his disappearance. He was transported to the hospital and later released. After locating the missing child the crew landed at the ranch and later departed, arriving in Rapid City at approximately 3:15 a.m. on November 5th. According to Agent Walker, the close cooperation between the South Dakota Army National Guard and search and rescue teams as well as excellent crew coordination on board the helicopter during the course of the mission were major factors in locating the missing child. Agent Walker was a graduate of LETA's Advanced Thermography Course held at S. Lake Tahoe, Nevada in October. John also was a student at the first D.E.A. Thermal Imagery Investigators Course in 1990. |