Breckenridge Texan

By Tony Pilkington and Carla McKeown/Breckenridge Texan

A three-year-old Stephens County boy has been located after going missing for over an hour in the Wayland area this evening, Thursday, April 27.

The child was reported missing at about 7:30 p.m., according to Stephens County Sheriff Kevin Roach.

“We started calling in all the resources we could have — rural fire departments,” he said. “I called in the state police with aircraft that had thermal imaging because I knew we were limited on daylight. We made an immediate emergency search for about 150-, 200-yard radius around the home and it was not successful. By that time, a lot of volunteers and other law enforcement had arrived. So we regrouped and started a grid search. And one of the officers with DPS actually heard him and found him.”

Roach said the weather conditions in the area weren’t too bad during the time the boy was lost, so he wasn’t too hurt. “It’s damp. It’s a little chilly; the grass was tall. So I don’t know that I’d say he was 100 percent, but he was OK,” Roach said. “He was medically cleared and released to his parents.”

The Wayland Volunteer Fire Department station was set up as a command center. The Wayland VFD, Hubbard Creek VFD, Stephens County Sheriff’s Office, Texas Department of Public Safety, Sacred Cross EMS, the Breckenridge Fire Department, Breckenridge Police Department and Animal Control, as well as many neighbors, area residents and friends assisted with the search, Roach said.

Cutline, top photo: Emergency vehicles gathered in the Wayland area tonight as searchers looked for a missing 3-year-old. The boy was found safe by a DPS officer during a grid search. (Courtesy photo)