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YOUNGSTOWN -- A boy, 6, walked away from his home on Lansdowne Boulevard at a little after 7 p.m. Friday, leading to a search by law enforcement officers from Youngstown, the Ohio State Highway Patrol and its aviation unit and others.
The boy emerged from the woods near Thorn Hill Road about two hours later in good health and was taken home.
It's not clear how far away the boy traveled, as the addresses on Lansdowne and Thorn Hill were not given in the police report.
The boy's mother called 911 to say that she had discovered that her son was missing from the residence and she had seen him about 15 minutes before calling 911.
Officers checked the inside of the house and immediate exterior of the house to ensure that he was not inside or nearby, but did not find him. Two officers reviewed surveillance video showing the boy wearing only blue underwear leaving the home and traveling north toward a wooded area.
Officers checked the boy's former residence and an area on Hubbard Road without finding him. Officers then checked near his home on Lansdowne and entered the wooded area prior to other officers arriving to assist with the search, including the patrol, Liberty, Hubbard and Youngstown State University police.
The search was extended into the area of the Lansdowne Airport and wooded areas nearby.
The boy's mother said the boy is autistic and somewhat verbal. She said he enjoys playing near the creek and frequently enters the woods to collect firewood.
The search became extensive, and then a woman on Thorn Hill Road called 911 at 9:14 p.m. to report that she was the boy's kindergarten teacher, and the boy had "emerged from the woods in the area of Thorn Hill."
The boy was examined by ambulance personnel and appeared to be in good health. He was taken back to his home on Lansdowne Boulevard and returned to his mother, the report states.