WATCH ABOVE: Kent Morrison takes us through the frantic search for a lost little boy and his dog that brought an entire community together.
EDMONTON – When Jerry Eagles heard a six-year-old boy had disappeared from his home near New Fish Creek on Monday, he joined the search team.
The boy and his six-month-old golden Labrador wandered off his family’s property around 10 a.m.
After searching for two hours themselves, family and neighbours contacted Valleyview RCMP. Officials searched the surrounding farm lands and forest for hours.
Eagles and his sister and brother-in-law joined about 100 other people looking for the boy.
As a helicopter used infra-red technology to search the forested areas, Eagles’ group combed the cut-line and roads for about three-and-a-half hours.
“So many times we should have turned back,” he said.
“You’re looking for something you don’t think you’ll find.”
WATCH: Jerry Eagles takes us through the search
As they started to lose the daylight, Eagles left the other two at the road and went into the bush about 20 feet as they flashed their lights into the trees
That’s where he found the boy and his dog, after nearly 12 hours alone in the forest.
“Just seeing him come toward us was one of the most amazing feelings in my life,” said Eagles.
He stayed with the boy and talked to him and sang songs to keep him calm until rescuers arrived on an ATV to get him to EMS, then returned home.
The RCMP praised Eagles’ efforts.
“We were playing against time,” said Staff-Sgt. Bruce Bracken. “The temperature was dropping and nightfall was setting in.”
The boy and his dog were found 1.5 kilometres south of his home at around 9 p.m.
“We all pulled together to find this little boy and it paid off,” said Bracken.
The RCMP helicopter, two Sustainable Resource Development helicopters, Civilian Air Search and Rescue, four police service dogs, several search managers from across Alberta, ATVs, volunteers on horseback, and about 50 trained Search and Rescue personnel helped in the search effort.
New Fish Creek is about 380 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.
*Editor’s note: This story was originally published on October 1, 2014. It was updated on October 9 with videos detailing the ordeal.
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