A four-year-old boy that went missing in the Montana wilderness in the US has been found safe after surviving on his own for two days in very cold temperatures.
The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office announced that Ryker Webb was found on Sunday unharmed - but “hungry, thirsty and cold”.
A two-day search took place, involving ground responders, ATV teams, canine teams, drones, helicopters and a boat unit from multiple agencies.
The youngster was reported missing on Friday just before 5pm by a concerned neighbour, where deputies in the police office learnt he had already been missing for more than two hours.
He had been seen playing with the family dog in his yard south of Troy, Montana on the east side of Bull Lake before being reported missing.
An initial clothing description provided to searchers proved to be inaccurate. It was unknown what clothing or footwear the child was wearing.
Thunderstorms and heavy rainfall also impacted the search effort, as aerial search teams had to turn back due to “very poor weather conditions which consisted of rain, low visibility, and low ceiling,” according to the sheriff’s office.
Dense vegetation in the area also made the search for the little boy “extremely difficult,” the office added.
A Code Red Alert was sent out to all neighbours in the vicinity of the point last seen, asking that they search their own properties and structures.
A 53-person team took part in the search, and Ryker was finally found in Sanders County, about 2.4 miles from where he went missing.
It has been reported that he was alone in the wooded area as temperatures dropped to 40 fahrenheit (4.4C) overnight on Saturday.
Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office went on to share a photo of the rescued boy inside an ambulance. He was wearing pyjamas and looked to have had a bloody nose.
The pre-schooler was then brought to Cabinet Peaks Medical Center for evaluation.
