Brownsville Police Department Spokeswoman Melissa Gonzalez said Luis Reyna Zuniga's family told police the last time they saw the elderly man was about 5:30 p.m.
The police department responded to the 500 block of E. St. Francis to investigate the welfare concern at around 8:38 p.m. to investigate the man's disappearance.
(CLICK HERE to watch drone video of the rescue.)
During the course of the investigation, Gonzalez said police requested the Brownsville Fire Department join the search and deploy a drone in the effort to locate Zuniga, who suffers from unspecified medical conditions.
At 11:11 p.m., Brownsville Fire Department drone operator Desi Tristan spotted Zuniga sitting in tall grass in a field by the levee in the vicinity of W. 5th Street and Ramireno Lane.
As of Tuesday morning, Zungia was still in the hospital, but is in stable condition, Gonzalez said.
"This was a collaborative effort working together for a great success story," Sheldon said.
Deputy Fire Chief Cesar Pedraza said he felt that the use of the drone saved Zuniga's life.
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