Missing 3-Year-Old Toddler Found After Spending 2 Days 'Hanging Out with a Bear'
Stories about missing children have to chill most parents to their marrow. See, when you have little ones, you understand how ill-equipped they are to handle things outside of their routines.
Do they know how to make an emergency call? Can they comprehend the four cardinal directions?
Do they understand who to approach for help and who to stay far, far away from? For especially young children, the answer is almost always no.
So imagine the panic that the grandmother of 3-year-old Casey Hathaway must’ve felt. According to WAGA-TV, the young boy went out playing with a pair of other kids in Ernul, North Carolina.
When playtime was over, the other two children came back in. But Casey’s grandmother couldn’t find him anywhere.
Casey’s grandmother spent 45 minutes searching for the boy before calling 911 to report his disappearance.
Craven County Sheriff Chip Hughes said that the little boy was not adequately dressed for the weather at the time he went missing.
Hughes was deeply concerned about sinkholes and deep-water ditches located in the area that could be the cause of the boy’s disappearance, and a massive manhunt ensued.
Divers began looking into nearby ponds. The weather also began to turn nasty.
Hughes told the media on Wednesday afternoon that the FBI, state investigators and the U.S. Marines Corps from the Camp Lejeune and Cherry Point bases have also joined the search.
Thankfully, Casey was found alive on Thursday around the intersection of two nearby roads, WNCT reported.
Chocowinity EMS Cpt. Shane Grier was following up on a tip when he heard Casey making noise. The boy’s clothing was entangled in some briars, but Grier soon got him free.
The first responder quickly ferried Casey to CarolinaEast Medical Center for evaluation and treatment. Physicians expect to release him on Jan. 25 or 26.
CarolinaEast Medical Center public relations director Megan McGarvey said that he was in good condition. Hughes added that he acted just like any other little boy.
“When he saw his little sister, he had a big smile on his face,” Hughes said. “I think he’s doing pretty good.”
Though Casey is probably going to face some serious grounding, the reason he gave for his disappearance would probably make even the most worried parent smile. Casey told authorities that he’d spent the past two days hanging out with a bear, according to WNCT.
During a press conference, his mother, Brittany Hathaway, said, “We just want to tell everybody that we’re very thankful that you took the time out to come search for Casey and prayed for him, and he’s good. He is good.
“He is up and talking. He’s already asked to watch Netflix so he’s good.”
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