Kentucky Boy, 6, With Autism Found Safe Nearly Three Days After Vanishing: Horseback Volunteers Bring Him Home
Roman Heilman, a 6-year-old boy from Louisa in Lawrence County, Kentucky, was found safe on the morning of November 3 after spending nearly three days missing in the hills. The Kentucky State Police announced late Tuesday morning that Roman had been located safe. The boy, who has autism and is nonverbal, wandered away from his home on Tadpole Road at around 4 p.m. on Sunday, November 1. State police issued an IAN Alert, the emergency alert Kentucky uses when a child with autism or a cognitive disability goes missing and may be in danger. Footage of the moment he was found later circulated on social media, where many commenters expressed relief and thanks.
For three days, the woods, ridges and riverbanks around Louisa were full of searchers: law enforcement agencies worked alongside hundreds of volunteers, with searchers on foot, drones and aircraft overhead, K9 units and riders on horseback combing the hillsides. Roman is about three feet tall and 60 pounds, with shoulder-length light hair and blue eyes, and was wearing a green jacket, red-and-white monster-truck pajama pants and Crocs when he vanished. According to Lawrence County Emergency Management, Roman is known to respond to the song "If You're Happy and You Know It," and searchers were encouraged to sing it as they looked, hoping he would hear it and come out. During the search, searchers recovered some of Roman's clothing.
According to one of the riders, as reported by West Virginia Pulse, about ten riders were in the woods before daylight on Tuesday and covered more than 14 miles on horseback. About a mile and a half from Roman's home, he walked out of the brush and onto the horse trail, with a little dog right there with him. The rider said he was covered in briar scratches but in good shape. The riders gave him water, a banana and a couple of fruit snacks, wrapped him in a sweatshirt and carried him down the mountain on horseback.
Roman was checked out by emergency medical crews after coming down the mountain. The rider said he appeared to be in good shape and just a little dehydrated. As of November 3, the Kentucky State Police had not released further details about his condition. In announcing the news, state police thanked their local, state and federal partners and the hundreds of volunteers who helped in the search.
Source: Kentucky State Police
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 肯塔基州路易莎（Louisa）历史建筑 Captain Freese House 资料图（Nyttend 摄，公共领域，经Wikimedia Commons；非事发现场图、非当事人住宅）
