THUNDER BAY – Potential tragedy was averted on Monday afternoon when a missing four-year-old boy was reunited with his parents.
Liam Baker went missing at about 1:30 p.m. from the yard of his Ilkka Drive home in Conmee, Ont. A little less than four hours later, Ontario Provincial Police said the youngster had been safely located, but not before a frantic search of the nearby area took place.
Parents Kate Sutton and Michael Baker said they were relieved to get their son back unharmed.
“He was just playing outside and he didn’t want to come back inside. We let him play outside for 15 minutes extra and went to go out back to get him (but) he took an adventure with the dogs,” Michael Baker said.
“It’s heart-wrenching.”
Sutton’s emotions were fraught until the youngster was found safe and sound.
“Your guts drop. Basically all we felt was helplessness, that we couldn’t go out and find our child. We had to leave it up to (police),” she said, her husband explaining to the inquisitive four-year old that the police were there to help him.
“It definitely puts a whole new perspective on watching your kids and they can disappear just like a blink of an eye.”
The happy father said about five police cars showed up and fanned out through the rural neighbourhood, along with a search helicopter.
More were on their way, as well as search dogs from Fort Frances, had the youngster not been found.
“We couldn’t thank them all enough for the effort and everybody they brought in to help find our son,” Sutton said.
“It felt like forever.”
“Time stood still,” Baker said.
Liam had some help staying safe on his journey.
“I guess a hunter stumbled across him in the bush. He followed the cops on Lundstrom Road and told them he’d found him.”
Baker estimated the youngster had travelled about three-and-half kilometres while he was gone.
With files from Thunder Bay Television's Troy Charles
