A missing two-year-old boy was found in the woods more than 24 hours after disappearing from the yard of his Florida home.
Joshua “JJ” Rowland was photographed barefoot and grazed but smiling in the arms of a volunteer who discovered him some half a mile north of his home in Brooksville, near Tampa.
He was last seen around 10 a.m. on Thursday morning playing with dogs in his yard while his mother slept indoors.
More than 500 volunteers showed up Friday morning to assist nearly 100 law enforcement officers in the search, using ATVs, infrared cameras, horses and helicopters.
Rowland was found by Roy Link, a former Marine and one of the volunteers, who said that after spending the night alone, the boy was so scared he wouldn’t let him go.
After spending more than 24 hours outside Joshua ‘JJ’ Rowland, two, he was found by volunteer and former Marine Roy Link (pictured), one of 500 who came looking for him Friday morning
Another photo of Rowland, shared by his father shortly after his discovery, shows him on the lap of a tearful woman. Scattered across his body were scratches and what appeared to be nettle stings
Rowland was last seen around 10 a.m. on Thursday morning playing with dogs in his yard while his mother slept indoors
“I hoped and prayed for a miracle. I certainly wasn’t expecting one, but I think a lot of people were praying and doing prayer work,” said Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis.
Link told the sheriff that he, too, prayed ten minutes before finding the child.
Another photo of Rowland, shared by his father shortly after his discovery, shows him on the lap of a tearful woman. “He’s home safe, thank you God,” he wrote.
The boy was still grinning, but there were scratches and what appeared to be nettle stings all over his body.
The search was suspended overnight as police used the IR cameras to search the area, but nothing of significance was found, the Hernando County sheriff said Friday morning.
“He’ll definitely have something to tell his kids and grandkids about and I’m sure Mom and Dad will keep a closer eye on him from now on,” the sheriff said.
“We had no idea what had happened to him,” he added. Rowland’s mother told deputies that she and the boy got ready for a nap around 9:30 a.m. and when she woke up, he was missing.
She said she searched for him for about an hour before alerting authorities. Friday night, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement issued a statewide missing child alert.
The alert stated that the boy was wearing a Batman T-shirt and gray pajama bottoms, the same clothes he was found in.
“I hoped and prayed for a miracle. I certainly wasn’t expecting one, but I think a lot of people were praying and doing prayer work,” said Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis.
Nearly 100 law enforcement officers were involved in the search, which used ATVs, infrared cameras, horses and helicopters
A renewed search began as the sun rose Friday morning
He was found just south of Parrott Middle School, about half a mile north of where he was last seen in the Yontz Road and Cheever Road area, the sheriff’s office said.
Initially, people were asked to search their personal belongings, including homes and cars, on Thursday afternoons.
“We are asking anyone in the area who lives in this general area to please go outside their property, look at bushes, look at cars that are unlocked… to find this little guy,” Denise Maloney, a spokesperson for the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office said at the time.
The renewed search began as the sun rose Friday morning. The Hernando County Sheriff’s Office posted a notice around 10 a.m. that it had a plethora of volunteers and needed no more.
Rowland’s aunt and father both appealed for help in finding the boy. Tonya Lindblade, his aunt, posted on Facebook Monday night: “We are concerned that sick people are still frantically searching for him and thank you so much for all the prayers and the people who are searching. I hope he’s safe and comes home soon.’
His father shared the positive news on Friday afternoon: “I have a lot to process, but it meant everything to everyone who reached out for my baby. Amen.’
