Emergency units spent Sunday night and early Monday searching for a missing 79-year-old Eastwood area man.

Responders were dispatched just before 10:30 pm to a residence on Windfall Drive off of Esther Road for a reported missing person.

The man went missing from a home located on a dirt road surrounded by woods. A ground search was immediately started by sheriff’s deputies and firefighters. In addition, a K-9 from Southern Pines Police Department responded and assisted in the initial search for the missing man.

Just after midnight a helicopter with the NC State Highway based in Salisbury was brought in to assist in the search for the missing man using infrared cameras.

The man was last seen at his residence around 10:00 pm wearing blue pajama pants, a black t-shirt, white tennis shoes and glasses. He reportedly has dementia/Alzheimer’s and may have had an altered mental status according to authorities.

He was located shortly after 5:00 am Monday morning using a drone aircraft after all night search efforts by authorities. The man was transported to FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital by ambulance according to emergency officials.

Sheriff Neil Godfrey stated Monday morning “This happy ending is a great example of teamwork that employed technology and a collective group of dedicated selfless servants.”

Responding Sunday night were units with Eastwood Fire & Rescue, Moore County EMS, NC State Highway Patrol, Southern Pines Police Department, Moore County Sheriff’s Department, and Moore County Public Safety. Drone Teams from the Wake Forrest Fire Department and the Fayetteville Police Department also assisted on the search.