JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A massive search for a missing 2-year-old boy who disappeared from a TownCenter-area apartment overnight ended early Tuesday morning when a motorist headed to work spotted the boy.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said the child was reported missing from an apartment complex on St. Johns Bluff Road near I-295 after the boy’s father arrived home from work in the middle of the night and found his door open and the child was not inside.
The child’s mother was home asleep along with one or two other siblings, according to JSO.
Police began a massive effort to locate the boy, searching on foot, in vehicles, using K-9s and by helicopter.
Police are stopping cars as they come and go from the apartment complex. The helicopter is flying over the area looking for the 2 year old @wjxt4 pic.twitter.com/OTBOqYVgmB
— Jennifer Ready (@JenniferReadyTV) January 26, 2021
Police said a man driving to work about 6:15 a.m. saw the child chasing ducks near Central Parkway, which is about half a mile away from the apartment complex.
He called the police and the child was checked out by medical responders and was found to be in good condition.
The Department of Children and Families will conduct an investigation due to the nature of the circumstances, but police said they will not be filing any charges for arrest.