Relief After 5-Year-Old Boy With Autism is Found After Going Missing During Recess

Unimaginable relief was felt by a whole community after a 5-year-old boy with autism is found after going missing during recess. Sometimes the news stops us in our tracks. The safest place for a child is within his mother’s arms. But we have to let them go and experience the world, like going to school.

We safely place our kids into the trust of teachers and hope they have a great day at school. But sometimes the unthinkable happens. That was the case for a little boy named Jedadiah who wandered away during recess at Sto-Rox Primary Center in Pennsylvania.

The Community Refused to Give Up

RELATED: Autistic 8-Year-Old Boy Goes Missing, Found by Water Thanks to Quick Response

What followed was a picture of what happens when a community refuses to give up on even one life.

Police launched drones into the air. Helicopters scanned tree lines. Firefighters and K-9s combed the woods. A river rescue team searched the waters. Detectives, school officials, and volunteers gave their strength to the long day of looking. “It was all hands on deck and all eyes,” Lt. Conor Mullen said. “Because there was no other way he was getting found.”

People Prayed For Hours

For hours, hearts prayed and hoped. Jedadiah’s family held onto faith, even in the waiting. “The family never lost hope. We never lost hope,” school board president Cameron Culliver said with tears of relief.

By evening, a miracle: drones pinpointed movement. A siren sounded in the woods. And then—Jedidiah stepped out of a ravine, alive, conscious, and alert.

The Boy With Autism Had Been Found

Cameron said later, “We are overjoyed.” And the Sto-Rox School District echoed the same, writing, “We are deeply relieved and grateful to share that the missing student has been found.”

Friend, this story is more than headlines. It’s a reminder: every life is precious. Every child carries the image of God, and when one goes missing, the whole flock stops to search until he is safe.

Didn’t Jesus tell us the same? “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?” (Luke 15:4).

On a Tuesday in September, in a small town in Pennsylvania, we saw that parable lived out. A boy named Jedadiah was found. A community rejoiced. And heaven surely did, too.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Mom Recently Diagnosed With Autism Shares a Powerful Moment With Her Son

WATCH: Relief After 5-Year-Old Boy With Autism is Found After Going Missing During Recess

LISTEN: Mom Diagnosed With Autism Shares Moment With Her Son | A Year After Her Struggle, Uber Driver Reaches Out to Help a Stranger

h/t: CBS News

Featured Image Credit: YouTube/CBS Pittsburgh

Heather Riggleman is a believer, wife, mom, author, social media consultant, and full-time writer. She lives in Minden, Nebraska with her kids, high school sweetheart, and three cats who are her entourage around the homestead. She is a former award-winning journalist with over 2,000 articles published. She is full of grace and grit, raw honesty, and truly believes tacos can solve just about any situation. You can find her on GodUpdates, iBelieve, Crosswalk, Hello Darling, Focus On The Family, and in Brio Magazine. Connect with her at www.HeatherRiggleman.com or on Facebook.