It takes a community to raise a child — and, more terrifyingly, to find a child lost in a cornfield and return them safely to their family.
Wednesday evening, Morden RCMP got a report that a three-year-old boy went missing, and his family couldn’t find him, despite searching for two hours.
Police immediately pulled together resources to help look for the toddler, including a Police Service Dog Jolt and a drone.
Authorities said the little boy was playing with family and friends when they decided to go into the tree line. The toddler was believed to have gone into a cornfield.
Alongside the RCMP and fire department, Good Samaritans in the community gathered to help find the child, Mounties said.
Emergency lights were left on, perimeter searches by car and a row-by-row search by foot were done on the 210-acre field, police said.
The drone picked up on several heat signatures, officers said, which at first turned out to be wildlife, but they located the boy close to 1 o’clock Thursday morning.
Authorities said he was taken to Emergency Medical Services right away, which was on standby.
He wasn’t hurt, RCMP said.
“This is the best possible outcome, and it is because of the quick response of everyone involved,” said Sgt. Scott McAuley, Pembina Valley RCMP Area Commander. “The local fire department, civilian searchers, and all the RCMP teams came together to find this little boy and showed how important it is for community to come together. It is a great day when we are able to hand a missing child back to their frantic parents and reunite a family. Thank you to everyone who assisted. Working together, you made a difference.”