Missing Autistic Boy Found Safe

On Saturday July 8th, at approximately 5:30 p.m. YCSO received a report of a missing 9-year-old autistic boy who was last seen near the boat ramp on Granite Basin Lake. The boy had been at the lake with his brother and his guardian. The two boys were playing near the boat ramp, when the brother left the boy briefly to speak with the guardian. When he returned, he could not locate his brother. YCSO Forest Patrol, US Forest Service, a DPS Ranger helicopter from Phoenix and a drone quickly responded, along with available YCSO deputies. Deputies immediately began a search of the area. The Ranger helicopter arrived at 6:30 p.m. and located the missing boy at 7 p.m.

The Ranger helicopter maintained a visual on the boy from the air while search and rescue (SAR) volunteers hiked to the spot. SAR found the boy at 7:15 and had him back to his family by 7:40. The boy was checked medically and found to be just fine for his little over half mile trek away from the boat ramp.