Lost child recovered after all-night search

With the help of dozens of community members and emergency personnel, Crook County Sheriff’s Office was able to reunite a young boy with his family last weekend after the child disappeared from his home, leaving only a footprint behind.

On July 5, at around 12:47 a.m., the sheriff’s office received a report of a missing child who had gone missing from his home near Hulett.

According to sheriff’s office reports, the ten-year-old, who is autistic and nonverbal, had last been seen at 2 p.m. the day before.

The caller enlisted between 20 and 30 people to assist in searching for the boy, beginning at around 4 p.m., but had found only a footprint on a cow trail, around 200 yards from the house.

The trail led to a field on the other side of the canyon. The search so far had included the timber around the field, but no other sign had been found.

Arriving on scene at 2 a.m., deputies were told that most of the people involved in the search were going home to get some sleep to be ready to start again in the daylight. A neighbor with a plane intended to start flying at 6:30 a.m.

Deputies established incident command and deployed a drone with infrared capabilities around the field and surrounding area. By 4:30 a.m., the drone had not been successful.

At 5 a.m., extra resources were called in for the search, including local fire and EMS, the local pilot, tracking dogs, a LifeFlight helicopter, man trackers and assets from Weston, Campbell and Sheridan counties’ search and rescue teams.

By 6:30 a.m., around 55 local searchers were on scene and the local pilot was in the air. The searchers divided into three teams to look in the area around the footprint, search every building within a mile and make sure all neighbors were aware within a three-mile radius.

More footprints were discovered a quarter mile north of the first. At 8 a.m., a small team with a tracking dog was able to follow a trail north, down the canyon.

Forty minutes later, another possible footprint was found. A second tracking dog team went to the location and began trying to follow any available track.

At 9:10 a.m., the LifeFlight helicopter took off to start searching. Ten minutes later, the crew reported seeing something they wanted a ground team to investigate.

At 9:29 a.m., the boy was found asleep along a fence line. He was examined by an EMT, further examined in an ambulance and found to be cold and covered in ticks, but overall in good condition.

Though this mission was a little different to most, Sheriff Jeff Hodge would like to take the opportunity to remind the community of the important steps that can help survivability if you or someone you know gets lost.

1. Plan ahead: always let someone know your route and expected return time.

2. Pack essentials: compass, GPS map, cell phone first aid kit, flashlight, extra food and water and appropriate clothing.

3. Stay calm if lost: stop moving, stay where you are and try to signal for help.

4. Use technology wisely: carry a fully charged cell phone and consider a portable charger. Turn on location on your cell phone. GPS devices and personal locator beacons can be lifesavers.

5. Hydrate and stay warm: Drink water regularly and keep warm to prevent hypothermia.

6. Know basic survival skills.

If someone you know has not returned within a reasonable amount of time past their planned arrival, call the sheriff’s office immediately.

“The sooner resources are on scene to begin planning and searching the higher the chances are for survivability,” says Hodge.

“The Crook County Sheriff’s Office has specialized equipment, specialized training and work with other resources and Search and Rescue Teams within Wyoming to assist us with Search and Rescue if necessary.”