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- Age: Three (May 2009)
- Lived with his parents in Arcadia, Missouri, 100 miles southwest of St. LouisFOX2 Now (St. Louis): Frantic Search Continues For Missing Three Year Old...
- Wandered away from his home at 11: 30 a.m. on Monday, May 4, 2009FOX2 Now (St. Louis): Frantic Search Continues For Missing Three Year Old...
- Parents realized he was gone five minutes later, began to search the wooded areaFOX2 Now (St. Louis): Frantic Search Continues For Missing Three Year Old...
- Police were called 45 minutes laterFOX2 Now (St. Louis): Frantic Search Continues For Missing Three Year Old...
- Three feet tallFOX2 Now (St. Louis): Frantic Search Continues For Missing Three Year Old...
- Weighs 35 poundsFOX2 Now (St. Louis): Frantic Search Continues For Missing Three Year Old...
- Wearing a dark blue shirt and pull-up diaperFOX2 Now (St. Louis): Frantic Search Continues For Missing Three Year Old...
- Area is densely wooded, including ponds and streamsFOX2 Now (St. Louis): Frantic Search Continues For Missing Three Year Old...
- Found alive on the afternoon of May 6, 2009
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Three-year-old Joshua Childers was reported missing by his parents after wandering away from his home in rural Arcadia, Missouri, on May 4, 2009.FOX2 Now (St. Louis): Frantic Search Continues For Missing Three Year Old...
Childers was found alive at 4:30 p.m. EST on May 6, 2009, and taken to a local hospital. The toddler was found three miles away from his home. He was treated for hypothermia and insect bites, but was released from the hospital on May 11, 2009.CNN.com: Toddler — who spent days wandering woods (May 11, 2009)
Disappearance and Search
According to his parents, Childers exited out the back door of the family's mobile home on the morning of May 4, 2009, walking towards a dense wooded area. His father, who works nights, was sleeping at the time and his mother was on the phone. After realizing he was missing, Childers' parents searched the nearby woods for 45 minutes, then called police.FOX2 Now (St. Louis): Frantic Search Continues For Missing Three Year Old...Police used helicopters, K-9 units and over 300 volunteers to search the densely wooded area for Childers. On May 5, 2009, one day after the search began, a small tennis shoe, believed to be that of Childers, was found one mile from the home. Local police and the FBI also used water patrols in the search.FOX2 Now (St. Louis): Frantic Search Continues For Missing Three Year Old...