FREETOWN, MASS. (WHDH) - Police used a drone with thermal imaging capabilities to locate a missing 2-year-old in the woods in Freetown on Friday after responding to a stabbing that left a victim seriously injured.
Officers responding to am 8 p.m. report of a person covered in blood found the victim, a 61-year-old, suffering from a stab wound to the face, according to police. The victim identified the suspect as 25-year-old Angel-Leah Duarte and told police she was in a nearby home.
After transporting the victim to the hospital, police went to the home where they determined that Duarte had fled on foot, accompanied by her 2-year-old child. Soon after, they located Duarte but not the child, sparking a desperate search to locate the toddler.
Joined by K-9 units and drone search and rescue teams, a search of the area was conducted.
Around 11 p.m., a police drone equipped with a thermal camera located the child in a wooded area and the operator directed nearby K-9 operators to her location. Because the child had been exposed to cold and rain, she was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital.
Duarte has been arrested on charges of attempted murder and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. She is slated to be arraigned in Fall River Justice Center on Monday.
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