Clarum County, Washington – The 10-year-old was found safe on Wednesday afternoon after he went missing in the woods while playing the previous day.
The Clarum County Sheriff's Office confirmed that the boy was placed just after 1pm on Wednesday.
During the search, authorities said the boy was playing in the area south of Highway 101 near Blue Mountain Road in Clarum County on Tuesday, and finally saw him heading into the woods around 4pm.
Clarum County Sheriff's Office deputies and Clarum, Jefferson and Kitsap counties searched for a massive search over a nearly 24-hour time frame.
The sheriff's office added that the boy had recently undergone a kidney transplant and needed his medicine, which made the search more urgent.
In comments posted on social media, the boy's grandmother said he loved hiding and asked the searcher to check around the shed, boat and car. Grandmother said the family is from North Carolina and is not familiar with the area.
The search area included buildings and ponds. K-9 teams and drone-equipped Jefferson County Councilman are also involved in the search effort.
“This is a very rural area. People have lots of buildings and there are many places that kids can hide. He may be stunned. We need people to go out there and search for accommodation, search the pond and report.
The searcher's crew searched helicopters and drones from the air, passing through the forests, outbuildings and ponds.
Although the CCSO did not provide details of the boy's discovery, they said he was safe and healthy and thanked the searchers and the community for their help.
Editor's note: The boy's name and identification information has been removed from the story to protect his privacy as a minor.
