A 4-year-old boy was found safe and unharmed after going missing for hours in a wooded area near his home in unincorporated Cocoa, Florida.
Franklin “Frankie” Orwig III had gone missing from his home on Burgess Avenue just before 9 a.m. on Friday, prompting the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office to activate its Child Abduction Response Team.
The sheriff’s office launched a helicopter to search from the air and soon after, the helicopter pilot and tactical flight officer spotted Frankie in a heavily wooded area and directed search and rescue crews on the ground to his location.
The sheriff’s office shared a video of deputies carrying Frankie out from the woods and reuniting him with his father.
Frankie’s father, Frank, said that he had fallen asleep while his son was playing on an iPad, and when he woke up, Frankie was nowhere to be found.
“I wasn’t even asleep 35 minutes or so. Then I get up, I look for him, he wasn’t in the house, and I’m freaking out,” he said.
Frankie was found with his loyal dog, Rufus, who had stayed by the boy’s side throughout the ordeal.
“I ran up to him, and I wouldn’t even let him go, I was just crying so badly,” Frankie’s father said.
Sheriff Wayne Ivey thanked the community and all the involved agencies who helped in the search.
“While today’s case thankfully ended with the little fellow being found safe and sound, it was a test and testament to how Brevard County Law Enforcement and its citizens partner together to keep everyone safe,” Ivey said.
Frankie’s father expressed his immense gratitude to the sheriffs, search and rescue teams, and the community for taking part in the search and helping bring his son home safely.
“I just want to give a big thank you to everybody that had anything to do with it,” Frank said. “I want to thank the sheriff’s office, I want to thank the search and rescue teams, I want to thank everyone that was involved.”
