3-Year-Old Boy Found after Spending 2 Days Alone in the Wild of Montana

A family’s worst nightmare came to an end after their missing child was found days after he had gone missing. The toddler survived the wilderness alone and had no food or water where he sought shelter.

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) in Montana revealed on their social media in June 2022 that a concerned neighbor reported that a young child had gone missing in the Bull Lake area, south of Troy, Montana.

LCSO deputies and several other rescue teams responded to the scene. The officials were given a description of the child, who was red-haired and had blue eyes.

Ryker Webb is the young boy’s name, and he had been gone for approximately more than two hours at the time. However, there was a misunderstanding regarding his age and the clothes and shoes he wore when he went missing. The authorities initially reported that the young boy was four years old when he was actually three. In addition, the searchers were given the wrong clothing description.

Webb was last seen playing with the family dog in the yard outside the home on June 3, 2022. After a missing person’s case was filed, a rescue team, including several drones, a boat unit, and dog teams, were deployed to search for him.

However, the search became more challenging due to poor weather conditions of rainfall leading to low visibility and low ceiling, and two Bear Air had to return. Still, two Montana Air National Guard Helicopters and drones were able to resume the search on June 4, 2022. Moreover, a Code Red Alert was sent to neighbors where Webb was last seen, asking them to search their properties and structures. The missing person’s report made it to the news nationwide.

On June 5, 2022, the LCSO announced on their Facebook page that Webb had been found. “SUCCESSFUL RECOVERY. CHILD HAS BEEN FOUND ALIVE AND IN GOOD HEALTH. No further info at this time,” the statement read.

According to the authorities, approximately 53 personnel on the ground were actively searching for Webb when they learned he had been found. “Deputies responded to Pine Ridge Road off South Fork Bull River Road in Sanders County and determined that it was Ryker, who was in good spirits and apparently healthy, although hungry, thirsty, and cold,” the officials revealed.

A Bull Lake Volunteer Ambulance responded to give Webb medical attention and transported him to Cabinet Peaks Medical Center for further evaluation. A sheriff’s dispatcher disclosed Webb was found about 2.4 miles from where he was last seen playing. The little boy survived two days in the wilderness, inhabited by mountain lions and bears.

According to an LCSO official, Darren Short, Webb sought shelter in a shed and looked “very, very scared” after being rescued. Temperatures dropped into the 40s the day he went missing, and the shed where he took shelter was an ancient log cabin-type structure.

The youngster used a lawnmower bag as a sleeping bag while sheltering inside the cabin that is unoccupied 90% of the year, said Short during an interview. He believes Webb took cover inside the cabin since the day he disappeared until he was eventually found.

Luckily for Webb, he was discovered by a family that went to check in on their cabin. “They heard a little boy’s voice from the shed out back where they keep a generator. So they went to the shed and there he was,” Short explained, adding the child did not ask for help and was afraid.

Short was the first to arrive on the scene after Webb was discovered. He recalled finding the toddler visibly shaken and asked him a few questions about his disappearance.

Short revealed Webb told him he had taken a long walk alone until he felt tired, adding that his eyes lit up once he mentioned that he would be reunited with his mom and dad. The little boy was ultimately reunited with his parents after being discharged from the hospital.

Read more about four teenage boys who went missing and were found dead. One of the boys’ girlfriends penned a heartfelt letter to him.