Missing child found unharmed
A mother’s worst nightmare: walking around your house on a cold winter’s evening only to realize your four-year-old son is nowhere to be found.
This nightmare became a reality for Patricia Reeves, mother to four-year-old Isaiah Reeves who went missing Thursday evening at a local trailer park.
According to Franklin County Sheriff Shannon Oliver, Reeves had been watching Isaiah play outside their home at the Town and Country Trailer Park that afternoon, but when she went to check on him at 4 p.m., the child was nowhere in sight.
“They searched for the child from 4 until 5:30 p.m. when the mother called our department to report him missing,” Oliver said.
“We immediately went into action because we knew how cold it was outside and that time was even more crucial in this situation.”
Oliver said in addition to many officers from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department, officers from the Russellville Police Department, the Alabama Bureau of Investigation, the North Alabama Search Dog team and the Northwest Alabama State Trooper’s rescue helicopter were all called in to assist with the search.
Lt. Mark McCormack with the ABI said two agents from their office were dispatched to the trailer park to help locate the missing child.
“Corp. Rodney Knight and Corp. Brian Faulkner immediately responded to the trailer park where they began to assist multiple personnel from many agencies in the area.”
McCormack said both Knight and Faulkner entered the woods east of the trailer park and continued to search for the boy with flashlights.
“Corp. Knight and Corp. Faulkner knew it was imperative at this point to find the little boy because of the sub-freezing temperatures,” McCormack said. “A little boy wouldn’t be able to survive in conditions like that all night long.”
After four hours of searching, Faulkner’s flashlight swept over a pile of brush in a heavily wooded area and relief swept through his body.
“The child was wedged up underneath a brush pile in an attempt to keep warm,” McCormack said. “He could barely speak. The only word he was able to say was ‘mommy.’”
McCormack said Faulkner and Knight ran back to the trailer park with the boy securely in their arms to get him warmed up as quickly as they could.
“Once the boy was reunited with his family, ambulances transported him to Russellville Hospital to receive treatment,” McCormack said. “When he reached the hospital, his body temperature was 92, so he was suffering from hypothermia.
“The boy had been wet from the snow that was still on the ground, so he was covered in ice: on his face, in his hair, and his clothes were frozen.
“It’s just a miracle that Corp. Faulkner and Corp. Knight found him. They’re definitely our heroes today.”
Oliver said he was appreciative of all the assistance and cooperation his department had received from other area law enforcement.
“This is a prime example of how, when agencies work together, we can accomplish things that can truly make a difference,” Oliver said. “We’re glad this little boy could be found and returned safely to him family.”
As of Friday morning, Isaiah Reeves was listed as being in stable condition at Russellville Hospital.
