An Oregon detective described it as "a needle in a haystack," but a search in the woods resulted in the discovery of a 1-year-old boy lying naked in the dirt, The Oregonian reported.
Detective Doug Jackson said he was part of a 50-member search party searching for Bradley Michael Thomas. According to a Facebook post by the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, authorities began searching for the child after his father, Brandon Michael Blouin, 25, of Belpre, Ohio, came out of the woods around 6 a.m. Thursday.
Blouin told deputies that he had looking for the child’s mother and had been running through sagebrush with Bradley. He put Bradley down near a fence, The Oregonian reported.
"Blouin is believed to have been under the influence of a controlled substance when he made the choice set him down and walk away," deputies wrote.
More than six hours after he went missing, Jackson found Bradley lying naked in the dirt. He was wrapped in a jacket by deputies and taken to paramedics, The Oregonian reported.
"I don't think we could've gotten a much bigger win than this," Jackson told the newspaper. “When you have a needle in a haystack situation like this, it could go a number of a different ways. It was very much a team effort, and I'm just thankful that we found the kiddo."
Blouin was booked into the Deschutes County Jail on Saturday on suspicion of first-degree criminal mistreatment, second-degree child neglect, third-degree assault and endangering the welfare of a minor, the sheriff's office said.
The child's 18-year-old mother is not facing any charges, according to the sheriff's office.
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