The family of a missing Montana toddler is incredibly grateful now that he's been found safe.
Ryker Webb was playing in his yard with the family dog when he disappeared. The Lincoln County Sheriff's Office quickly sprung into action, with the help of Ryker's family. Still, after 24 hours, the little boy hadn't been found.
Search efforts were expansive. Different agencies worked together to spread Ryker's name and story throughout the country. Thankfully, he was found two days after going missing and found close to home.
The Lincoln County Sheriff's Office poured a ton of resources into the search for Ryker, just hours after he went missing on June 3.
"In addition to a steady presence of ground searchers and ATVs, several drones and dog teams were able to deploy yesterday following the initial report, along with a boat unit on the lake. Two Bear Air attempted to deploy yesterday, but had to turn back due to poor weather moving in," they reported on June 4, 2022.
"Today, two Montana Air National Guard helicopters and several drones from Flathead and Spokane were able to deploy, in addition to more dog teams and continued ground and ATV searching. It has been extremely difficult to get the additional air assets into the Bull Lake valley due to very poor weather conditions which consisted of rain, low visibility, and low ceiling. These assets continue to monitor weather for additional flight openings. The dense vegetation in the area has also proven to be extremely difficult to search."
In the meantime, Ryker's parents were filled with every parent's worst fears. His father, in particular, felt responsible after leaving the boy outside alone with the dog for a few minutes.
Adverse weather conditions made the search all the more challenging. Thunderstorms, heavy rain, and heavy mist made it difficult to navigate certain terrains. Members of law enforcement from Lincoln County, Flathead County, and Bonner Country sheriff's offices; Spokane Police Department; David Thompson Search and Rescue; Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks; Libby Volunteer Fire Department; Bull Lake Fire and Rescue; and North Valley Search and Rescue all participated in the search.
Ryker was found after two days in a shed approximately 2 miles north of his home. It's expected that the little boy wandered away and may have sought shelter in the shed after the rain began.
"They heard a little boy's voice from the shed out back where they keep a generator," Lincoln County Sheriff Darren Short told the media.
"So they went to the shed and there he was."
"He was very, very scared," he noted. The area is known for mountain lions and bears and temperatures were as low as the 40s at night.
"He had the wide-eyed scared look until he got back to his mom and dad."
They believe Ryker may have been checking out bugs when he wandered away. "Little Ryker is very interested in bugs and insects. As ground searchers walked up the trail behind his house, they could tell the some rocks had been freshly turned over like a kid would do if they were looking for bugs."
Ryker was checked out at Cabinet Peaks Medical Center. They determined him to be in good health and able to go home. Authorities are continuing to investigate why the boy's family didn't report him missing until two hours after he disappeared.
