5-year-old found safe after vanishing on walk with two dogs, Mississippi officials say
A 5-year-old who disappeared on a walk with two golden retrievers has been found, Mississippi officials said.
As of about 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation said Henton Kenneth Dean is safe. Officials had been searching for the boy, who is from the Center Hill area in Lauderdale County.
The child was reported missing after he was last seen about 6 p.m. Tuesday on Center Hill Road, roughly 14 miles north of Meridian and near the Alabama border.
Henton wanted to play outside before he wandered away with the two dogs, Ward Calhoun, chief deputy with the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office, told McClatchy News in a phone interview.
“We were able to utilize a home surveillance system and saw him and the dogs walking in an eastwardly direction away from the residence,” Calhoun said. “So, that was really the only clue we had to go on when the search got started.”
Calhoun said volunteers joined local and state officials in looking for Henton throughout the night. Investigators issued an Endangered/Missing Child Alert for Henton, and crews used search dogs to scour the rural, hilly area near his home.
The search took a turn at about 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, when officials said the two dogs were spotted within minutes of each other. Crews turned their focus to the place where the animals were found, and a neighbor saw Henton in a ravine less than 1 mile from his home.
Henton was OK and was taken to an emergency room out of caution, officials said. It was a relief to find the child and know community members helped.
“Many, many people are parents,” Calhoun said. “They all know that feeling of: What if that was your own child?”
Calhoun said deputies don’t suspect foul play, and the case remained under investigation as of Wednesday afternoon.
This story was originally published September 22, 2021 at 7:41 AM with the headline "5-year-old found safe after vanishing on walk with two dogs, Mississippi officials say."
