A missing 4-year-old boy has been found safe after surviving just two days in the Montana desert in low temperatures over the weekend.
Riker Webb was found unharmed but “hungry, thirsty and cold” on Sunday after a two-day search that included ground crews, ATV crews, dog crews, drones, helicopters and a boat from multiple agencies, Lincoln County Sheriff said.
The young man was reported missing shortly before 5 pm on Friday by a concerned neighbor. Deputies soon learned that he had already disappeared for more than two hours at this time and was last seen playing with the family dog in his yard south of Troy, Montana, on the eastern side of Lake Bull.
He was alone in the woods as temperatures dropped to 40 on Saturday night, and thunderstorms and heavy rainfall affected search efforts.
Air search teams had to return due to “very bad weather conditions, which consisted of rain, low visibility and low ceilings,” according to the sheriff’s office.
Riker spent two days alone in the Montana desert. The office of the Lincoln Ryker County Sheriff was found just over 2 miles from where he disappeared. Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office
Dense vegetation in the area also made the search for the little boy “extremely difficult”, the office added.
Riker was finally found in Sanders County, about 1.5 miles from where he disappeared as a team of 53 people searched the area.
He was “in a good mood and apparently healthy, though hungry, thirsty and cold,” the sheriff’s office said. He was brought to Cabinet Peaks Medical Center for evaluation.
The Lincoln County Sheriff shared a photo of the rescued boy in an ambulance. He was wearing pajamas and his nose looked bloody.
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