A 5-year-old boy thought to be missing on the south edge of Bowling Green was found around 3 p.m., reportedly hiding in the back of a family member’s car, according to a Wood County Sheriff’s Department dispatcher.
The report came in around 1:30 p.m., that the little boy was missing after last being seen in the area of the Best Motel, on South Main Street in Bowling Green. It was initially reported that the child was barefooted.
Officers from several law enforcement agencies and fire departments began searching for the boy. Drones were deployed, and personnel at Home Depot, Walmart and Burger King checked their surveillance cameras to see if the boy had passed their locations, the dispatcher said.
Store staffs in the strip mall south of Gypsy Lane Road checked their stores and restrooms, the park district checked restrooms near the Slippery Elm Trail, and community members offered their help, the dispatcher added.
The child was found at 2:52 p.m., hiding in the back of a vehicle at the motel, where his family was staying. The family is not from Wood County, according to the dispatcher.
