Beacon detection system for locating missing persons

A search system configured to operate on a search vehicle, comprising:

• a Wi-Fi radio capable of broadcasting one or more SSIDs preconfigured in a mobile device to connect to the SSIDs and receiving a connection attempt to connect to the one or more SSIDs, the Wi-Fi radio configured to broadcast the one or more SSIDs which are unique to a mobile device which is sought in a search and to allow Wi-Fi connections between the mobile device and the Wi-Fi radio;
• a location position detector configured to detect a position of the search vehicle;
• and
• a Wi-Fi detector responsive to the radio, the system configured to determine at least a location of the mobile device based on the connection attempt to connect to the one or more unique SSIDs, the location determined by a position of the search vehicle within a geographic search area traveled by the search vehicle in a search for a search subject at the time the connection attempt is made by the mobile device associated with the search subject and whether or not the connection between the mobile device and the WiFi radio.

A computer implemented method of determining a location of a search subject, comprising:

• accessing search data including at least one or more connection attempts by a mobile device associated with a search subject to connect to broadcast Wi-Fi signals having one or more SSIDs uniquely associated with the mobile device of a search subject and pre-configured in the mobile device to connect to the SSIDs, the search data including geographic location coordinates of a search vehicle travelling in a geographic search area for the search subject, the search vehicle carrying a Wi-Fi radio capable of broadcasting the one or more SSIDs and receiving the connection attempts the one or more SSIDs;
• determining in the data a location associated with each of the at least one or more connection attempts from the mobile device by matching the geographic location coordinates of the search vehicle at the time of the at least one or more connection attempts, the determining the location occurs whether or not the connection between the mobile device and the Wi-Fi signal is completed;
• and
• outputting search information to a search agent, the search information including the location associated with each of the at least one or more the connection attempts to connect.