The family of a boy who spent hours lost in a semi-rural suburb thanked the good Samaritan who found him.
Three-year-old Xavier Death embarked on a solo adventure in search of kangaroos in Angus, near Riverstone in Sydney’s northwest, on Monday afternoon.
Police have launched an urgent search, with grave concerns for his welfare due to his young age.
Officers, with the help of the community, spent more than three and a half hours searching for Xavier before the missing boy was found by a member of the public in woodland 2km from where he had wandered off.
Adam Goncalves heard screams before seeing Xavier in the darkness with his flashlight in a pasture.
She rushed over and began warming the child as the cold temperatures dropped into the single digits.
Xavier was found with his clothes soaked and his shoes on the wrong feet, as well as some scratches from climbing under barbed wire fences.
“He was crying when I found him, but as soon as I got to him and asked him what his name was, he stopped,” Mr Goncalves said. He told 7News.
This is the moment Adam Goncalves found missing boy Xavier Death crying near a creek in a pasture on Monday night
Security cameras show Xavier wandering away from the family home in search of babysitters.
Mr Gonçalves said that if he had not found Xavier, someone else would have.
But Xavier’s grandmother, Maree Loveday, disagreed.
“Nobody was looking there, just you,” he told Mr. Goncalves.
Ms Loveday and her grandson thanked Mr Goncalves for helping to end the massive community search.
Xavier also visited Riverstone Police Station on Tuesday, where he received a display bag and posed for a photo with officers involved in the search.
This comes after extraordinary footage emerged of the moment Xavier was reunited with his frantic family on Monday night.
From Xavier An emotional father fought back tears as he hugged his son.
“I would like to absolutely thank everyone who came out to try and help my little boy find his way home,” Death told reporters.
“If it wasn’t for the community, I think we would have really struggled all night trying to find him.”
‘I would also like to say a big thank you to the guy who found it, I can’t remember his name but I really appreciate it.’
When asked by reporters why he left home alone, Xavier said he had been looking for kangaroos before getting lost.
Xavier’s father said that if it weren’t for his helpful neighbors, his son might not have been found.
The sun had set during the search for Xavier “long before he was found,” according to his father, and temperatures had dropped below 3°C in the area.
Police launched an urgent search after discovering Xavier was missing, with grave concerns for his welfare due to his young age.
“Following a large-scale search and a geo-targeted alert message sent to the local area, the child was found by a member of the community,” the statement said.
‘Riverstone Police would like to thank the community for their assistance.’
Riverstone Police thanked their community for their help in finding Xavier (pictured with officers) safe and sound.
