After surviving nearly 24 hours alone in the woods, a 4-year-old boy who went missing at a lake in Fresno County, California, was found safe last week, officials shared.
Christian Ramirez was found by members of the Tulare County Search and Rescue Team on Friday at around 8 a.m., almost a quarter mile from where he was reported to have disappeared the day prior.
KFSN reported that the boy was found hiding under a tree in the area.
“We’re fortunate this morning that as these searchers were calling out for the boy, he called back,” Fresno County Sheriff’s Lt. Brandon Pursell told KFSN.
Pursell shared with KABC that by where the boy had been found, “it was pretty clear that he had been lost, and he had kind of hunkered down for the entire night.”
The sheriff’s office noted that Christian was tired and hungry but otherwise in good condition. He has since been reunited with his parents.
“There’s a lot of things that could have gone really, really wrong with this one, and we got lucky, the family got lucky. The boy is very, very fortunate to be with his family,” Pursell told KABC.
KFSN shared that Christian, who weighs in at 40 pounds, was in the woods at night in just a t-shirt and shorts, with no other supplies to protect himself, something Pursell highlighted with the potential dangers he could have faced.
“Huntington is known to have bears. There’s possibilities of big cats up there, also. We also have snakes. There’s lots of little dangers up there. Slip-and-fall hazards and waterways,” Pursell said.
Pursell shared with the outlets that Christian’s family had reported him missing on Thursday around 11 a.m. They shared that in “less than five minutes,” he had just disappeared from their campsite at the Rancheria Campground in Huntington Lake.
Assisting in the search and rescue mission were the department’s Search and Rescue team, Air Support Unit, Forest Service rangers, and California Department of Fish and Wildlife officers.
“This was an amazing show of teamwork and dedication. There were more than 50 deputies and volunteers who combined to participate in this search,” the sheriff’s office said. “This included members of other law enforcement agencies who assisted us, working non-stop throughout the night.”