Sarnia police are reminding residents that there is no waiting period before reporting a missing vulnerable person, saying delay remains one of the most significant factors affecting the outcome of missing person investigations.
In a media release issued Thursday, the Sarnia Police Service said it has handled 120 missing person investigations in the community since Jan. 1, 2026. Police say many of those cases involve individuals with medical or developmental conditions that increase their risk of harm when they leave home. The service first shared safety information about vulnerable missing persons earlier this year.
Police say anyone who notices a vulnerable person is missing and has concerns for their safety should call 911 immediately rather than wait.
The service said it has invested in additional resources to help locate missing people, including specially trained officers, technology and software supports, and police service dogs. Police service dogs Vader and Shadow are trained to search for missing people and can cover ground faster than an officer on foot while navigating difficult terrain, according to police.
Sarnia police say they have also equipped officers with specialized drones fitted with infrared cameras, allowing searchers to scan large areas from above for visual cues or heat signatures that indicate a person’s location. Police say the technology can help locate someone in a fraction of the time a ground search team might need to cover the same area, though dense brush and heavy tree cover can limit its effectiveness depending on weather conditions.
