INGHAM COUNTY, Mich. — A 78-year-old woman is safe after being rescued thanks to the use of a drone and the app What3Words, according to the Ingham County Sheriff’s Office.
Officials tell us that on Monday, July 14, 2025, Ingham County 911 dispatchers, Mason Fire Department and Ingham County Sheriff’s Office worked together to help the woman who got stuck along a steep back of the Grand River while kayaking.
Around 5:30 pm on Monday, 911 Dispatch was notified of a woman who had been kayaking alone. She called to report she was stranded, but unsure of where she was.
We’re told that dispatch was able to find her location using the app What3Words. This technology divides the world into a grid of 10 feet by 10 feet squares, assigning each square a unique combination of three words that can be provided to responders to narrow down the search area.
Dispatch was able to plot her approximate location, giving responders an accurate starting point despite her being in a remote and wooded area with limited visibility.
Ingham County Sheriff’s Deputies also used a drone to search the river and found the woman in less than four minutes.
Meanwhile, Mason Fire were able to successfully rescue the woman.
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