Two young kids have been found after they went missing in the Maine woods while playing near their rural home on Wednesday.
The 2- and 3-year-olds were playing with their older brother outside their Heron Mark Lane home in Phillips about 3:45 p.m., according to Emily McCabe, a spokesperson for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.
The pair ran down their driveway onto the road and out of their brother’s sight, McCabe said Thursday morning.
The older brother told his parents, who immediately began searching for their children. But when they couldn’t find them after searching nearby roads, they called for help about 4:55 p.m., according to McCabe.
Game wardens used ATVs, dogs and aircraft in their search for the missing kids.
Warden Chad Robertson and his canine partner Storm picked up the children’s scent about 7:45 p.m. while searching the woods off Number Six Road. Robertson and Storm found the children huddled together in a remote thick woods about half a mile from their home, according to McCabe.
“This was a great team effort by all those involved,” said Sgt. Scott Thrasher, who was one of 12 game wardens involved in the search. “Warden Roberston and K9 Storm were the heroes here, helping to prevent these two young children from spending a long night alone in the woods.”
The children were checked by EMS and released to their parents.
