Fairfax County Police Department 

By Zak Failla From Daily Voice

A missing elderly couple from Virginia is safe after cops used cutting-edge tech to track them more than 200 miles away in North Carolina — and it all happened in under 20 minutes, police said.

Officers from the West Springfield Police District were called to the 8800 block of Hayload Court on Monday, Nov. 3, for a welfare check after family members reported the couple missing from their home. 

Both reportedly suffer from mental or health issues, according to Fairfax County Police.

At 2:07 p.m., the department’s Real Time Crime Center (RTCC) kicked in. 

By 2:10, detectives using Flock Safety license plate reader cameras spotted the couple’s vehicle driving in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina.

Five minutes later, another hit — this time in Warrenton, North Carolina. 

The RTCC coordinated with local police and the Warren County Sheriff’s Office, who quickly found the car.

At 2:26 p.m., just 19 minutes after the RTCC began working the case, officers conducted a traffic stop. 

The couple was safe and unharmed, police said. Family members from Fairfax County met them there to take them home.

“This remarkable outcome highlights the powerful role of technology in policing,” officials said. 

“License plate reader systems, combined with the RTCC and access to shared law enforcement LPR network systems, have proven invaluable in solving real-life emergencies swiftly and effectively.”

Police encouraged residents to register their home cameras with Connect Fairfax County to help solve future crimes and locate missing people.