A 3-year-old boy from the Troy area who was missing for almost 48 hours during a thunderstorm was found on Sunday afternoon following a multi-agency search response that was launched on June 3, according to Lincoln County Sheriff Darren Short.
Property owners found Ryker Webb in their generator shed on Pine Ridge Road off South Fork Bull River Road in Sanders County, about two miles south of his home near Troy in the Bull Lake area, Short said.
The couple who found Webb had traveled to their property from Eureka after a Code Red Alert was sent out to neighbors about the search and they told authorities the boy was in a state of shock and was very scared. After bringing Webb into the cabin to warm him up and give him food and water, Short arrived to transport him to rendezvous with Bull Lake Volunteer Ambulance responders, who transported him to Cabinet Peaks Medical Center for an evaluation.
Short said the local area temperatures ranged from the mid 40s to the low 60s throughout the timeframe that Webb was missing, and he believes he took shelter in the shed before the thunderstorm rolled through on Friday night.
“He was very, very scared,” Short said. “He was with a total group of strangers and when I asked him if he wanted to see his mom and dad, his eyes lit up.”
“He was doing great for a little boy who had been out for two days,” Short added.
According to Short, Webb was outside playing with the family dog on Friday afternoon when his father went inside for a moment. When he returned, his son and the dog were gone. As his parents searched and yelled for them, the dog returned, but Webb did not.
As the parents called for Webb, a concerned neighbor called authorities at approximately 4:52 p.m. and a search and rescue (SAR) operation was initiated.
Short said Webb had been missing for at least two hours before the call, and responders immediately began a ground search. By Sunday, there were 53 personnel actively searching the area, including multiple sheriff’s offices, several dog teams, multiple SAR organizations, Two Bear Air, Montana Air National Guard and many other agencies, including some in Spokane and Idaho.
“It was absolutely a huge response,” Short said.
Short said that since this response involved a small child, the department drew in a lot more outside resources than they otherwise would.
Because of poor visibility on Friday, air resources were not immediately available, but the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office launched a drone to cover the area and Montana Air National Guard helicopters flew from Helena on Sunday. Ground searchers, ATVs, drones, a boat unit on Bull Lake, and dog teams all provided a steady presence during the search.
Local volunteers with cat hounds also helped with the search, along with 40 volunteers with a Sanders County church organization.
“His parents were incredibly thankful and relieved, just like all the searchers,” Short said.
David Thompson Search and Rescue, Bull Lake Volunteer Fire Department and Bull Lake Ambulance, Flathead SAR, Flathead County Sheriff’s Office, Spokane Police Department, Bonner County Sheriff’s Office, North Valley SAR, Two Bear Air, Montana Air National Guard, Libby Volunteer Fire Department, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, and dozens of experienced volunteers assisted in the search.