Three-year-old missing with dog

December 23, 1981
Anza
1981-044

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By Brian Hixson

At about 8:30 pm I was pulled away from the TV by a call from Walt Walker, stating that a young child was missing in the Anza area. Walt picked me up shortly after. We left Hemet and rolled through Sage and then up to Anza, followed by John Dew and Kevin Walker. Base camp was set up only a mile from where we had searched for a two yr. old earlier in the month. The Hemet team had been called earlier but did not have any luck. We were shown the child's footprints near the mobile home where he was last seen with his dog in the afternoon. A Hemet search team reported that they felt they had found tracks. Walt assigned John and I to go along with Kevin in his jeep, and follow the deputy around to where the search team was. Upon arriving at the groups location we did some looking, and confirmed that this was the correct print. The Hemet group continued on and we moved around again and further North. Our plan was to try and leap frog search to try and cut off the child, who had already gone several miles in a short amount of time. As was the problem earlier in the month, HAPPY REUNION - A very happy, safe young boy, motions as his mother looks on knowing that this will indeed be a joyous holiday after all! (photo by Kevin Walker)temperatures were dipping into the 30's and the coyotes could be heard howling in the distance.

After moving around, we started searching our way up another dirt road that would hopefully cut the young child off. We had been searching for some time when over the scanner we heard the sheriff s dispatcher tell the deputy to roll to an Anza address, that a young boy and his dog had been found sleeping on a door-step, by the residents. We jumped back into the jeep and followed the deputy to the house in question, and upon going inside we found that our three and a half year old friend was still a bit cold but other than that was O.K. Kevin checked him out, and after seeing that he was in good shape, the deputy took him back to base and his waiting parents. Once back in his mothers arms it was apparent that this young one would have a very Merry Christmas.