A 4-year-old boy who traveled by himself outdoors for two days was found by authorities responding to a nationwide missing person report.
After an expansive search campaign that lasted two days and involved dozens of rescuers, authorities were able to locate the 4-year-old Ryker Webb, who had been outdoors for two days, according to a news release the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook on June 5.
Sheriff Darren Short told NTD that the boy was found by the owner of a cabin near Sanders County, who spotted the child in his normally unoccupied shed housing an electric generator.
The child had gone missing after playing in the yard of his house with the family dog near the east side of Bull Lake in West Montana. Short told NTD that the boy likely walked through a series of abandoned trails in the forest before reaching and staying in the shed where he was found.
A missing-persons report was disseminated nationwide after a concerned neighbor reported the child missing.
Authorities immediately launched a search campaign on June 3, which included all-terrain search vehicles, several drones, a boat unit, and dog teams.
The search campaign garnered additional resources the next day, including two Montana National Guard helicopters and drones from Flathead County and Spokane Police.
“The dense vegetation in the area proved to be extremely difficult to search,” the news release said, adding that the poor weather conditions consisting of “rain, low visibility, and low ceiling” made it “extremely difficult” to deploy additional air resources into the Bull Lake area.
On June 5, the search crew finally found the boy, who was in “good spirits and apparently healthy, although hungry, thirsty, and cold,” according to the sheriff’s office.
“As a Mama to 4 boys, I know how fast these kids can move. I’m so grateful this little man was found safe. An answer to our prayers!!! Thank you to everyone who helped search and helped get this baby back home to his Mama. Such a great outcome. My heart was in my throat these past few days, thinking about him. God bless this little family and those who helped find him,” responded a Facebook user to the news release.
“Thank you to the many agencies and persons who assisted in this search,” the sheriff’s office said.