A family in Oklahoma is celebrating after a family friend found their young son safe and sound after a 15-hour ordeal alone outdoors. Three-year-old Walker Magnus was found unharmed after wandering overnight in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, according to reports ABC affiliate KOCO News.
Walker disappeared on the night of May 2 during a routine trip with his father. “He was with his father, they went up here to feed the animals and he was outside playing. You know, just a split second without looking and he just disappeared,” said Travis Dinwiddie, undersheriff of the Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO), in an interview with KFOR.
The disappearance sparked an extensive search operation involving nearly 100 first responders and volunteers, led by Pottawatomie County Emergency Management Director Chad Larman. Search teams combed the area throughout the night in hopes of locating the missing child.
Justin Black, a family friend, joined the search at the request of Walker’s uncle. He had previous search and rescue experience and decided to focus on specific areas where the boy might have wandered. “We have a thousand people here that are scanning, so I said, ‘Well, with the water and the rain, I’m just going to look outside and start looking for prints,'” Black said. KOCO.
Black’s instincts led him to look for drainage areas. “I went down. I started looking for drains,” he said. His strategy paid off when he discovered Walker less than a mile from his house, sheltered under a tree. The boy was “very happy” when he was found, Black told KOCO “He just started coming towards me and walked towards the road, and someone was driving down the road from side to side and picked us up.”
Walker was quickly reunited with his parents, who hugged him tightly in an emotional reunion on the morning of May 3. Black also shared a touching moment with Walker’s grandmother, who expressed her gratitude. “Grandma comes over, she gives me a hug and she starts making me cry,” she recalled.
Authorities confirmed to KFOR that Walker was taken to the emergency room as a precaution, but was in good health. The successful search and rescue effort brought relief to the entire community and showed the dedication of the volunteers and first responders involved.
Dinwiddie expressed gratitude for the community’s support during the search. “It’s a small community. Everyone knows each other and everyone comes out to help,” she said.
The incident highlights the importance of community involvement and the value of local knowledge in search and rescue operations. Thanks to the quick response of volunteers like Black and the coordinated efforts of first responders, Walker Magnus was found safe and sound, bringing a happy ending to a night of family worry.