A 4-year-old boy was found safe 24 hours after he went missing in the desert near Sells, Arizona last week.
On Dec. 17, the boy was playing outside with his dog when he wandered away from his family’s home on the Tohono O’odham Nation, a press release from the FBI said. The family noticed the boy was gone around 10 a.m. and reported him missing to law enforcement.
Tohono O’odham Police, Customs and Border Protection, United States Border Patrol Search, Trauma, and Rescue and the FBI searched for the child by air and foot throughout the night and into the next day, citing concerns about the boy possibly developing hypothermia given the winter temperatures or encountering javelina, coyotes and mountain lions.
On Dec. 18 just after 12 p.m., a helicopter spotted the boy waving for them, 200 yards ahead of officers who were on the ground, the press release said. The boy was taken to a hospital for an evaluation and was deemed healthy.
It was discovered that the boy had walked in large circles and was found approximately 5.5 miles from his home, the news release said. He walked an estimated 12 to 15 miles throughout the 24-hour period.
The boy’s dog also appeared to be with him for most of the time, returning to the house on Saturday shortly after 4 a.m., officials said.
