5-year-old wanders from campsite and is lost overnight, cops say. Then camp worker helps

A 5-year-old went missing after wandering from his family while camping, California officials said.

Then, a camp employee spotted him, according to an Aug. 4 Facebook post by Madera County deputies.

The boy had wandered from his family on Aug. 3 while they were cooking dinner at the Mammoth Pool Reservoir Campground, officials said.

Madera County deputies, search and rescue teams, K9 units, and helicopters were dispatched to help look for the boy as the rescue mission continued overnight, officials said.

When the sun came up, dive teams and technical rope teams joined the search, officials said.

The child was eventually spotted by a camp worker when he emerged “from brush and onto the road,” officials said.

Deputies said the boy was “alert and calm” and was reunited with his family and evaluated by medical personnel, officials said.

Madera County is about a 170-mile drive southeast of Sacramento.

This story was originally published August 5, 2024 at 5:13 PM with the headline "5-year-old wanders from campsite and is lost overnight, cops say. Then camp worker helps."