A massive search effort was launched after a 3-year-old boy went missing from a ranch near Candy Kitchen, New Mexico. Family members of Gabriel Marez searched for the missing toddler for two hours before calling in law enforcement for help at 3 p.m. on September 5, 2012.
State, county, city, and Tribal law enforcement officers joined park service, fire, and transportation officials in the search that included ATVs and night goggles. The Laguna Police Department also brought in three dogs from the Search and Rescue K-9 unit to help find the missing boy.
A neighbor found the child at 11:30 p.m. about a mile from the boy's home. He had a few scratches and lost his diaper but was in good condition.
“I cannot explain my feeling when I saw the volunteer walk right up to the command post out of the dark with the child in his arms healthy and safe,” said Laguna Police Detention Commander Billy Emanuel.
After he was found, Marez was taken to the Zuni Pueblo Hospital Clinic to make sure he was OK.