23-03-2025
Hudson drone operator hopes Derry discovery brings closure to family of missing woman
Mar. 23—To find a woman missing in Derry since 2020, family and friends of Amanda Grazewski needed someone with a particular set of skills.
That person just happened to be Jenness Keller of Hudson, owner of Sky Dog Aerial Thermal Imaging. He had used his drones before to help map dozens of acres where Grazewski might be, but this time, they gave him a specific task — look in the water near the Hoodkroft Country Club's golf course.
He obliged and a couple of days later, based on a tip from Keller, Derry Police, the New Hampshire State Police Major Crimes Unit, and Fish and Game officers found human remains Thursday in one of the areas of interest he pointed out.
The state's Chief Medical Examiner's Office and forensic anthropologists have not confirmed the identity of the remains, a process that could take several months, but Keller said he was happy to be involved in what could potentially provide closure for Grazewski's loved ones.
"Well, it's everything. It's, you know, it's really the reason why I did it for the last two years," Keller said Friday. "I got the equipment, I've got the time, and I'm not far away. I went in with zero expectations and hoped to be surprised. We got lucky, and now I'm ecstatic. It's fabulous."
Last week marked the five-year anniversary of Grazewski's disappearance. She was last seen at a home on Birch Street, where she had been staying with a friend. Grazewski was 23 years old at the time and had left her friend's home early in the morning without her purse, cellphone or belongings on March 17, 2020.
Since then, Derry detectives have continued the search, along with family and friends. All told, thousands of hours have been logged looking for her, using police dogs, drones and conducting grid searches in several parts of town, Derry Police said.
Finally, a tip
Wednesday's tip was the first substantial break in the case. It came about after Courtney Elizabeth, who runs the Finding Amanda Grazewski group on Facebook, asked Keller to focus on the wetlands near the golf course.
"Courtney called me up and said, 'I keep hearing check the water, check the water,'" Keller said.
Keller mapped the area and ended up with 900 to 1,000 images. By combining the high-resolution images into a mosaic, the result is pictures that are accurate within a half-inch, Keller said.
On Sunday night, Keller and his wife found six points of interest and after zooming in, it looked like there was a body in one of the pictures.
"So, I went and flew to the different spots and there was one that looked like a person lying on their side with their legs bent slightly and a right arm bent in the silt and sediment," Keller said.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, Keller shared what he found with Derry Police.
High-tech search
Keller started using drones about four years ago after working for 40 years as a software engineer for BAE Systems and the Department of Defense, working with anything from robotics to laser to electronic warfare.
He said he's mostly helped look for lost dogs, cats and even a parrot.
"I found a horse on top of a mountain once. That was one of my highlights," he said of helping a family in Claremont. "The people who owned the horse started to cry. It was really nice to reunite them."
Last week's discovery in Derry was the first time he's helped find a human.
Nearly five years to the day police and loved ones started looking for Grazewski.
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