Mutual Aid- Washington NV County - Missing 3 yr old 10-14-11

Missing 3-year-old Washington boy found alive after spending night in woods

OCTOBER, 14 2011
BY MATTHEW RENDA AND TRINA KLEIST
STAFF WRITERS
Barry Sieler, a Washington-based timber worker, arrived in a pick-up truck in the center of the small county town and shouted:

“I found him!”

The crowd of town residents that had gathered outside of the Washington Hotel erupted into jubilant applause and shouts.

Davyn Wilkison, 3, was found by Sieler at approximately 10:15 a.m. Thursday morning, just two miles outside of town on Alpha Road, after spending a cold night in the woods.

"I was just in the right place at the right time," Sieler said. “I was headed up Alpha Road and about 100 feet away I heard him crying.

"He was standing by a fir tree and he was crying. And I started crying, too."

Justin Wilkison, Davyn's 14-year-old brother, said his little brother was right behind him Wednesday afternoon as he was doing chores around the house. Suddenly, Justin turned around and Davyn was gone.

However, at first, Justin was not worried.

“Sometimes he wanders off to the neighbor's house,” Justin Wilkison said. “One time we were playing hide-and-seek and he fell asleep under the neighbor's porch.”

This time, though, Davyn did not appear and the family contacted the Nevada County Sheriff's Office at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nevada County Sheriff Keith Royal said. NCSO immediately dispatched 30 Search and Rescue workers, which grew to 70 by Thursday morning, when the boy had still not been found.

Search and Rescue workers from Yuba, Placer and El Dorado counties joined their Nevada County counterparts.

However, it was Sieler, a resident who spent the majority of his life in the area, who eventually found the boy.

Davyn was in good condition and seemed amused by all the attention directed his way, as he met members of the media near 11 a.m., just under an hour after being found.

“I slept on the ground,” he told a crowd of residents and local media. “Yeah, it was cold.”

Davyn said his dog, Shadow, chased after a squirrel and he followed the dog and soon became lost.

Davyn's mother, Harmony Blake, said she was very relieved the ordeal was over and her son is safe.

“I had a lot of fears throughout the night,” she said. “I was afraid he'd fallen in the river, encountered random strangers, everything.”

Blake said she knew her boy had been rescued when she heard shouts of joy come from Washington's downtown.

“This is a small town and we help each other out,” said Jason Wilkison, Davyn's father. “It's great to know that this many people care and God bless every one who helped search.”

Washington Hotel owner Henry DeCorte said Davyn is known for his love for the outdoors, but the

wilderness surrounding Washington can present dangers for a small child without navigation skills.

“There's lots of mountain lions around here and a lot of mine shafts,” he said.

Justin Wilkison said he had a dream that his brother was attacked by a mountain lion, but expressed relief that it was only a dream rather than a fatal premonition.

“This story,” Royal said, “has a happy ending.”

To contact Staff Writer Matthew Renda, e-mail mrenda@theunion.com or call (530) 477-4239. To contact Senior Staff Writer Trina Kleist, e-mail tkleist@theunion.com or call (530) 477-4230.

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Davyn Wilkison, 3 Found near Town of Washington 10/13/11
10/13/2011 -- Photo for The Union by John Hart Photo By: John Hart
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