Missing toddler found curled up and cold in ditch near interstate, MI cops say
.png "A missing 2-year-old was found cold and curled up in a ditch alongside an interstate in Michigan, helicopter video shows.")
A 2-year-old boy went missing from his home on a cold night in Michigan, but tragedy was averted thanks to a quick response from rescuers, authorities say.
Police responded to a call about a toddler missing from home in Blackman Township on the night of Saturday, April 5, the Blackman-Leoni Department of Public Safety said in a news release.
The callers said the boy was last seen watching TV in the living room at 8:43 p.m., but he seemingly vanished and a call was made to police about an hour later, authorities said.
It was a cold night in the area, with a low of 33 degrees, according to Weather.com.
Search crews made up of local and state police began looking for the boy using K-9s and helicopters, authorities said.
About three hours after the toddler went missing, a Michigan State Police helicopter spotted a bright, white heat signature in a ditch near Interstate 94, video shows.
Police on the ground headed to the location and found the boy, who was “conscious and alert and did not appear injured,” MSP said.
He was curled up on the ground, cold and wearing only a diaper, according to police. First responders took him to a hospital for evaluation and he was reported to be in good condition.
Blackman-Leoni Department of Public Safety thanked all of the agencies who helped in the search, saying that without them, “this incident would have undoubtedly ended in tragedy.”
Blackman is a roughly 80-mile drive west from Detroit.
This story was originally published April 6, 2025 at 3:38 PM with the headline "Missing toddler found curled up and cold in ditch near interstate, MI cops say."