The rescue of an autistic Twin Cities man, who had been missing for seven days in Burnett County, can be attributed in large part to a unique software program developed in Saint Louis County.
The software uses the laws of probability to point searchers in the right direction as LeAnn Wallace reports.

"Everything you look for, every possible missing object that you seek, missing kids, missing car keys, missing Alzheimer's patient, missing parking spot at the mall, every missing object that we look for boils down to answering two questions: Am I looking in the right place, and would I detect and recognize the target if it's there?"

Rick Slatten, writer of "Search Tracker" says those two questions can be answered mathematically with the help of his software.

The software uses mathematics and proven search theory principles in order to tell searchers whether their looking in the right place and how thoroughly they're searching that area.

The Saint Louis County Search and Rescue squad was asked by the Burnett County Sheriff on Thursday to join the search using their unique software and their search and rescue dog teams.

After running "Search Tracker," rescuers were able to narrow the most probable places where Kennedy might be found.
After the software targeted a roughly quarter–mile by half–mile rugged area, that hadn't been thoroughly searched, Kennedy was found.

"Slatten says although the use of this planning and management software was a key component in finding Keith Kennedy, it's only just a tool."

"It's people that find missing people, it isn't software that finds missing people, it's people. This is just a tool to help us do our job better to build a better search. And you know how can we deploy these people in the most efficient and effective way possible."

"It kind of makes you feel better going into something like that where everybody's input, which is you know kind of shown through the computer program, everything's saying search here this is a high priority area verses you know sending you 20 miles away looking at a corn field somewhere, it's just saying well your efforts are well spent here."

Efforts of hundreds of volunteers and rescuers were well spent thanks to hard work and excellent new technology developed right here in Saint Louis County.
In Duluth, LeAnn Wallace, The Northlands News Center.

Slatten and his wife continue to tinker with "Search Tracker", and are looking for ways to improve it and make it more user–friendly.