Missing child found after deputies, state troopers search in Sturgeon
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The 4-year-old boy who was rescued in Sturgeon early Friday morning is being treated for mild frostbite and hypothermia, according to family friend Faith Livingston.
The child is expected to recover after being outside in 15-degree weather for hours.
"It's like a Christmas miracle that he's OK," Livingston said.
The child was found about a half-mile from where he was believed to have gone missing in need of medical attention, according to a press release from the Boone County Sheriff's Office.
The child went missing around 11:13 p.m. near the 400th block of East Patton Street and was found around 3:45 a.m. near the 100th block of East Francis Street, according to the release.
Livingston said the boy was found in a stroller outside the Backyard Playschool Center. She said she checked around the daycare about an hour before a Columbia police officer found him.
"We even checked the dumpster of the daycare, and it just so happened he was in the stroller, and I never thought to look there," Livingston said.
She said she cried when she heard the news.
"I was instantly in tears because that's not what we thought the outcome could be," Livingston said. "We didn't think that he possibly could have been out here in the cold like that, barefoot and hardly any clothes."
According to the release, more information is unavailable as law enforcement continues to investigate the case and can't release details on why the child was outside.
The City of Sturgeon thanked the Boone County Sheriff's Office and the Missouri State Highway Patrol in a Facebook post.
"Their professionalism, teamwork, and commitment to the safety and well-being of our community were truly commendable. We are profoundly thankful for their swift and coordinated response during this critical situation," the post states.
Boone County firefighters also helped with the search, said Boone County Fire Protection District Assistant Chief Gale Blomenkamp.
Capt. Brian Leer with the Boone County Sheriff's Office said the child was found after several hours.
Leer said a grid search was conducted throughout Sturgeon.
The press release also says a Missouri State Highway Patrol helicopter was used, and all railroad traffic in Sturgeon was paused.
