Revealed: How Kentucky toddler who survived three nights on a rugged hill after wandering from his front yard with no food or water was found after rescuers followed his cries as he is treated for dehydration
- Kenneth Neil Howard was found dehydrated but alive near old strip mine in eastern Kentucky at 2pm Wednesday
- Toddler was last seen at his family's Magoffin County, Kentucky, home at 7.30pm Sunday
- It is unclear if he had anything to eat or drink during his time in the wilderness
- He was recovering well in hospital on Wednesday and was treated for dehydration
- Parents said the 22-month-old boy went missing while playing in the yard; his father was nearby at the time
- Search and rescue crews were using bloodhounds, horses, ATVs, helicopters and special drones to search rugged terrain
New details have emerged about how rescuers found a 22-month-old Kentucky boy alone on a rugged hill three days after he wandered from his front yard while he was playing.
Kenneth Howard was found on Wednesday afternoon when a search team heard his cries 50 feet up a hill near an old strip mine.
He was only a third of a mile from his home.
Aside from being dehydrated, the young boy was in a good condition and is now being treated in the hospital.
It's unknown if he had anything to eat or drink during his time in the wilderness. When he went missing, he had nothing with him other than the sweatpants and t-shirt he was wearing.
He spent the night at Cabell Huntington Hospital in West Virginia, with his parents and other family members by his side.
Kenneth's father, Elden Howard, told the station WYMT he was initially in a state of disbelief and had rescuers show him a photo of the child found on the hill as proof.
'I said, "that's my boy,"' the parent recounted. '[It] tickled me to death. Best thing that ever happened to me in my life.'
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Kenneth Howard was found dehydrated but otherwise unharmed near an old strip mine three days after wandering away from his eastern Kentucky home. Pictured: Kenneth is being examined by medics on the scene
The little boy was loaded onto a gurney to be airlifted to a hospital. Rescuers was shocked by her surprisingly good condition
Safe: The toddler is pictured with his parents in a West Virginia hospital after his rescue from a rugged hill in rural Kentucky Wednesday
Kenneth, nicknamed 'Kentucky mountain boy,' was found up a hill after a 67-hour search
A doctor who was treating the boy said Kenneth was eating animal crackers and drinking apple juice, and was in good spirits, reported Good Morning America.
One official marveled at the child's ability to make his away across the treacherous terrain and get as far as he did, calling him 'a true Kentucky mountain boy,' reported WYMT.
Prestonsburg Fire Department Chief Michael Brown recounted for 'Good Morning America' how in the middle of the intense search for Kenneth, crew members took a break on Wednesday to regroup when one firefighter said he thought he heard cries.
'We all got quiet and started calling the child’s name, and at different times, sporadically, he would give us a cry and we had to try to pinpoint his location,' Brown said. 'We got three or four cries from him, and two of the guys made their way back up the hill and he was sitting up at top of a little flat there.'
Prior to that, rescuers were beginning to think that it had become a recovery, rather than a search mission, given the time that had passed and the difficult conditions on the ground.
Kenneth's parents, including father Elden Howard (second right), were overwhelmed and in a state of disbelief upon learning of Kenneth's rescue
Kenneth is pictured riding in a fire department vehicle out of the wooded area where he was found Wednesday
'I was froze [sic] to death and wet and every time I would think I was cold, I would think about that baby and then I'd about start crying,' South Magoffin Fire Department Assistant Chief Brent Handshoe told WYMT. 'I just didn't want to give up on him.'
News outlets reported earlier that Magoffin County Emergency Management Director Robert Prater said the original search area was a half-mile radius from the home but widened to about 1 mile and included the old, overgrown mining operation.
Chief Conley said crews and volunteers were using bloodhounds, horses, ATVs, helicopters and drones with thermal cameras to comb through the rugged terrain in search of the toddler.
Kentucky State Police spokesman William Petry previously said there was no evidence of foul play.
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One of the rescuers is seen holding Kenneth in his arms in the woods where he was found at around 2pm on Wednesday
A search and rescue team is pictured jumping for joy after learning that Howard has been found alive and well
Kenneth was last seen playing in the yard of his family's home in Magoffin County (pictured) at 7.30pm on Mother's Day
Kenneth was last seen in his front yard at Racoon Hill at around 7.30pm on Sunday and was reported missing by his family an hour later.
His mother, Samantha Moore, said in an emotional interview with WTVQ on Tuesday that her son was outside their home with his father late on Mother's Day when he went around the back of the house.
When Kenneth's dad, Elden Howard, went looking for him, the boy was nowhere to be found.
'It’s like he just disappeared,' Moore said in a barely audible, hoarse voice. 'Like he’s just gone.'
In a separate interview with WYMT, Elden Howard speculated that someone may have taken his son, given that so far all their search efforts have come to naught.
'I would just like to see him come home safe,' the father said. 'I can't rest, can't eat.'
Howard described his young son as a curious toddler full of energy. He was offering a $5,000 reward for the boy's safe return.
Vigils were held Tuesday night in eastern Kentucky, with attendees praying for Kenneth and his family.
The boy's parents, Elden Howard (left) and Samantha Moore (right) pleaded for their son's safe return nearly three days into his disappearance
- Mother of missing Magoffin County toddler speaks out - ABC 36 News
- "I want him home safe"; Father offers $5,000 reward for missing Magoffin County toddler
- BREAKING: Magoffin County toddler found alive - ABC 36 News
- "A true Kentucky mountain boy"; Toddler found alive days after disappearance
- Kentucky toddler missing since Sunday found alive in 'remarkably good condition,' authorities say - ABC News
