MATTAWAN, Mich. — A 3-year-old boy who went missing in Van Buren County on Friday has been found safe, according to the Van Buren County Sheriff's Office.
Around 2 p.m. on Oct. 27, deputies with the Van Buren County Sheriff's Office reported to West Point Drive in the Village of Mattawan after receiving reports that an autistic, nonverbal 3-year-old boy had been missing for about 20 minutes.
The deputies set up a perimeter around the house and began the search while K-9 Kuno began tracking the boy with his handler. The tracking led the officers to a small pond where the child's blanket was found.
Great Lakes Drone also flew in a grid pattern to search over the wooded area in the perimeter.
As this took place, a citizen about 150 yards away called dispatch and said they believed they found the child in a creek near another pond. He was verified to be the missing child.
Once found, he was checked by an ambulance and returned safely to his parents.
According to the Van Buren County Sheriff's Office, one of his siblings witnessed him exiting the house through a side door and going straight into the woods.
This case remains under investigation.
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