A 10-year-old girl was found curled up on the ground in the woods, 1.5 miles away from her home, after going missing for more than 24 hours.

Peyton Saintignan of Louisiana was reported missing on Saturday, September 15th, after having last been seen the night before while preparing to go to bed, according to a Facebook post from the Webster Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Authorities found her 1.5 miles from her home in dense woods around 11 p.m. on Sunday, September 16th, thanks to the assistance of thermal imaging drones provided by Drone Management Services from Arkansas."She was in dense woods roughly 300 yards from where a trail camera had recorded her earlier Sunday morning," Webster Parish Sheriff Jason Parker said. "She was asleep when we found her. We’ve had her checked by EMS, and she is fine, back at home and hungry."

Sheriff Parker explained that the drones played a crucial role in locating Peyton. He also mentioned that the DeSoto Parish helicopter had been searching from the air but was unable to use drones initially. When drone deployment became possible, team members Josh Klober, Matt Ramos, and Micah Carter successfully located her.

The sheriff added: "I can’t tell you how thrilled we all are to have a happy ending to this. A lot of prayers were answered today."

Parker also expressed gratitude to the many people who helped during the search, calling it "truly a cooperative effort." These included local police and fire departments, the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries, state police, and the Webster Parish School Board.

Klober, co-owner of the drone company, recalled locating the child, saying, "We staged up and got everything set up, set the generator up. We had a big, flat-screen TV." Eventually, he spotted Saintignan curled up on the ground while only wearing one shoe. She was roughly 1.5 miles from her home upon discovery.

EMS examined the young girl and found her to be in good health, albeit hungry. She has since returned home safely. Sheriff Parker extended his gratitude to everyone involved in the search, emphasizing the importance of community cooperation in achieving this positive result.

Peyton's family revealed that she had a history of sleepwalking, although never to such an extent.

The exact cause of sleepwalking — also known as somnambulism — is unknown.

However, researchers believe genetics may play a significant role, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

It’s more common for children to sleepwalk than for adults, and most children grow out of it by their teenage years.

“If one parent has a history of sleepwalking, their child has a 47 percent chance of also doing it. That goes up to 62 percent if both parents have a history of sleepwalking,” according to the nonprofit academic medical center.