Carmel police officers and a K-9 unit found an 11-year-old—who told his mother he was going for a "survival hike"—about two miles into the woods Friday, officials say.
The mother, who police described as distraught, contacted police around 7:30 that evening and reported the child missing because he had yet to return home.
Officer Jeffrey Eagan, K-9 Officer Thomas Raffaele and his K-9 Cache responded to the area of Route 6N in Mahopac, as the boy told his mother he would be hiking in the woods behind Carpenter Trailer Park.
Cache the K-9 tracked the boy from where he had entered the wooded area.
"The youngster had his cell phone with him and advised the dispatcher that he had crossed over a stream about an hour ago," authorities said in a statement. "The phone was pinged and gave the approximate area in which the boy was present."
The officers and Cache continued to track the boy. They located him after a half-hour search, about two miles into the "thick woods" near the Westchester County line. The discovery came before the Westchester County Aviation Unit's helicopter took off to assist in the search.
"The child was unharmed and turned over to his parents," police said.
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