In the early morning hours of April 18, a young family from California, who were staying at a local Airbnb, reported that their three-year-old son was missing from the home. When the family arrived at approximately 10 p.m. to the home, the child was already asleep and was placed in bed for the night. His parents then went to bed for the night as well.
The couple awakened at 5:30 a.m., and the child was missing from the bed. The front door was found unlocked and they both remembered locking it when they went to bed. This Airbnb is located on the east side of town. They did a quick search of the home and yard but did not locate the boy. They called 911 and reported the incident. An officer arrived within minutes of the call and began searching the area. Other officers were called to assist in the search. It was still dark outside and at 40 degrees, the child was dressed in shorts and a tee shirt with no shoes.
Within approximately 45 minutes of receiving the call an officer was driving through a local motel/cabin rental parking lot and a person stopped the officer. The person asked if the officer was looking for a child. When the officer responded yes, the person stated that the boy had wandered up to their cabin at 3 a.m., and that he was cold so they had brought him inside. The people who found the child told the office personnel at the cabins they had found a child and to report it to the police. The office clerk failed to make the report.
The child was located inside the cabin warm and happy. The officer gathered up the child and returned him to his family. The parents were in panic mode and were very happy to the point of tears that the child was located unharmed and safe. The mother of the boy stated she would not let him out of her sight for the rest of their trip.
The people who found the child had not called the police because they assumed that the office would make the call and report it. There is no foul play suspected in the incident.
The three-year-old had crossed a four-lane highway to get to the cabins. So many things could have made this a very tragic story, but the Kanab City Police Department is happy to report a very good, happy and safe ending to this incident.
