The 3-year-old North Carolina boy who was reported missing Tuesday was found on Thursday night, tangled in briars and calling for his mother, according to the Craven County Sheriff's Office.
Casey Hathaway was described as being "in good health," the sheriff's office said in the post.
"We found Casey alive and he is safe with his family, getting the medical care his little body needs," the sheriff office wrote on Facebook.
The department called the discovery "amazing."
Casey was found about a quarter to half a mile from where he went missing, Craven County Sheriff Chip Hughes said at a news conference, streamed by WRAL. Hughes said Casey was found about 40-50 yards into the woods, where he was tangled in vines and thorn bushes.
TV station WSOC says the discovery was made after someone called police at 9:30 p.m. Thursday to report "hearing Casey crying for his mother deep in the woods."
Searchers rushed to the area and began following the sound of the boy's voice to pinpoint his location in the dark, Chocowinity EMS Captain Shane Grier found Hathaway told WCTI.
The boy was caught in vines at the time, but officials said they suspect he "was moving around most of the time he was lost," WSOC said.
"He was cold but verbal," Grier said at the news conference, adding Casey was wet. "For the conditions, I think he fared very well. We're very fortunate."
TV station WYFF says the boy was alert enough to tell them his name and age.
Casey was taken to Carolina East Medical Center to be evaluated by doctors, the sheriff's office said on Facebook.
"It's a great evening folks," Hughes said at the news conference. "We brought Casey to his family, just like we said we were going to do. ... Little fella is happy, and his parents are very happy too."
Casey was so happy that he already asked his mother if he could watch Netflix, Brittany Hathaway said at the news conference.
"We just want to tell everybody that we're very thankful that you took the time out to come search for Casey and pray for him. And he's good, he is good, he's up and talking," Brittany Hathaway said at the news conference, before hugging Grier and Hughes, video shows.
Hughes was adamant that this was a missing child case since Casey disappeared Tuesday, and reiterated that at the news conference. The sheriff said "there were no signs of abduction," as he explained why an Amber Alert was never issued.
Although Casey was found close to where he initially went missing, that did not stop the sheriff's office, and the multiple other law enforcement agencies in addition to first responders and hundreds of volunteers from covering lots of ground _ and water _ in their search.
In another news conference earlier Thursday, Hughes said searchers had covered more than 200 acres looking for Casey. That included areas the sheriff's office described as "treacherous" terrain that were "flooded and filled with sinkholes," according to a Facebook post.
Swift water teams from area fire departments checked several ponds, according to the sheriff's office post.
It was all in an effort to find Casey, who was reported missing around 1:45 p.m. in Ernul, according to the Facebook page Never Forget Me. Ernul is located close to the North Carolina coast, not far from New Bern.
Casey was playing with a group of kids, two of which returned to his great grandmother's home, thencbeat.com reported.
WSOC quoted authorities as saying the boy "wandered into thick woods behind the home."
After an unsuccessful 45-minute search in the "rural, wooded area," Casey's family called 911, according to Never Forget Me.
