3-Year-Old Found Safe After Following His Dog Into The Woods

MASSAC COUNTY, IL — A 3-year-old boy who followed his dog into the woods was quickly found after community members jumped into action to help with the search, according to authorities.

Police were called just after 11:30 a.m. Wednesday to the 3900 block of Staton Ridge Road in downstate Massac County after the child wandered away from a home in the area, according to the Massac County Sheriff's Office.

The county fire department, Metropolis Police Department, Illinois Conservation Police and state police joined the search. A drone was deployed and, residents volunteered to look for the boy. About two hours later, a volunteer found the child, uninjured, roughly a quarter-mile from the home.

“It was determined that the child was following his dog into a wooded area and became lost,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release. “More than 100 people were involved in the search and recovery of the child.”