‘Hungry, thirsty and cold’ 4-year-old found after 2-day search, Montana rescuers say

A missing 4-year-old boy last seen playing with his dog near Troy was found “hungry, thirsty and cold” after a two-day search, Montana officials reported.

His family reported Ryker Webb missing on Friday, June 3, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. He was last seen playing with the family dog in the yard.

Ground searchers, dogs and drones searched for Ryker on Friday but bad weather prevented a helicopter search, sheriff’s officials said.

On Saturday, June 4, two Montana Air National Guard helicopters joined the search, which continued to be hampered by bad weather, the release said.

“The dense vegetation in the area proved to be extremely difficult to search,” sheriff’s officials said.

On Sunday, June 5, Ryker was found “in good spirits and apparently healthy, although hungry, thirsty, and cold,” the release said.

The boy was taken to a hospital to be evaluated.

Troy, with a population of nearly 1,000, is a city in northwest Montana near the Kootenai National Forest.

This story was originally published June 6, 2022 at 9:48 AM with the headline "‘Hungry, thirsty and cold’ 4-year-old found after 2-day search, Montana rescuers say."