A 4-year-old kid who went missing at a lake in Fresno County, California, on Thursday was found safe after spending almost 24 hours alone in the woods, according to the sheriff’s office. Members of the Tulare County Search and Rescue Team discovered Christian Ramirez around 8 a.m. on Friday, roughly a quarter mile from where he had gone missing the day before. According to CNN station KFSN, rescuers discovered Christian under a tree. “We’re fortunate this morning that as these searchers were calling out for the boy, he called back,” said Fresno County Sheriff’s Lt. Brandon Pursell to KFSN.
Searching on Fire:
Rescue workers conducted a large search on the ground, in the air, with dogs, and on the highways. Their efforts paid off. On Friday, search teams discovered the tiny kid approximately a quarter mile from where he went missing.
“He wasn’t in the campsite area anymore. He was out in the woods. Lt. Brandon Pursell of the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office stated, “It was pretty clear that he had been lost and had kind of hunkered down for the entire night.” Christian was noted as being in good form, despite wearing only a T-shirt and shorts throughout the night. He was hungry and fatigued, but overall in good health. He was reunited with his parents. It’s still unknown how he became separated from his family, but investigators believe he wandered off while they were at the campground.
Crews worked all night in the forested area, reaching 60 to 70 searchers Friday morning in a forest teeming with bears, snakes, and treacherous terrain. “There were a lot of things that could have gone horribly wrong with this one, and we were fortunate, as was the family. Pursell stated, “The boy is extremely fortunate to be with his family.”Heading into the summer camping season, the sheriff’s office hopes this story will push families to keep a closer eye on their children, demonstrating how easily a child may get lost in just minutes.