Tribbey Toddler's Safe Return: 3-Year-Old Goes Missing For 15 Hours

Two parents are breathing a sigh of relief after their three-year-old little boy was found safe under a tree.

“Just don’t think the worst. Don’t think the worst. That’s it. Can’t think of that,” said Justin Black, a family friend. 

Black says he got off work early this morning and headed straight to the command post to help in the search. “I figured I would start on the outside and work my way inside, looking at dirt roads and tracks,” said Black. 

He found the boy 15 minutes after he started searching. “Happy as he could be. He just started walking towards me,” said Black. 

Mark Rodman, the Tribbey Fire Chief, brought them back to the family. “He was happy and lucky when we drove to the command center. It was, hey, we are having a party. Nobody told me. It was like his birthday party. It was great,” said Rodman. 

Tribbey law enforcement and other agencies searched 160 acres of heavily wooded land. There were boots on the ground, drones up, and dogs sniffing. The Pottawatomie County Undersheriff says the boy disappeared around 7:30 p.m. Thursday. “They came up here to feed the animals. You know, Dad stepped into the house for a second. The dad was watching him through a window, and it was so quick he noticed he wasn’t there,” said Undersheriff Travis Dinwiddie. 

The little boy was with his blue healer. The pup made his way back to the house earlier in the morning. “We were all very scared when the dog was located, and he wasn’t with him,” said Undersheriff Dinwiddie. 

The boy was found after a night of thunderstorms about half a mile from the house. “He is going to have stories to tell when he gets older, for sure,” said Undersheriff Dinwiddie.

The little boy was checked out by medical staff and is happy and healthy.