SALYERSVILLE, Ky. (WLEX) – A Kentucky toddler who disappeared Sunday evening was found alive Wednesday afternoon not far from his home after a massive multi-agency search.
Kenneth Neil Howard, just 22 months old, was last seen about 7:30 p.m. Sunday.
The child was found just before 2 p.m. Wednesday less than 2,000 feet from the home. Rescuers say they heard the boy crying and found him on a cliff area.
“It hits home,” said Chris Hecker with Kentucky State Emergency Management. “It hits home. and we weren’t going to give up. I told the mother that when I saw her, but then we flew him out I said, ‘We didn’t give up.'”
Carter Conley, of Magoffin Search and Rescue, seconded that sentiment.
“I told the father that it’s a proud day,” Conley said. “It was a team effort, and God led us in the hands and to move that way.”
Crews had been using a drone with thermal imaging to help with the search effort.
The boy’s father, Elden Howard, offered a $5,000 reward for the child’s safe return.
