On Thursday, June 5, 2025, at approximately 2:03 p.m., deputies from the Mecosta County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to a residence in Aetna Township to search for a missing 3-year-old.

According to the release, deputies initially responded to the scene and contacted the mother to begin the initial search of the house, vehicles, and surrounding outbuildings. Deputies called for additional responders to assist with the search, including EMS and Morton Township Fire and Rescue.

Deputies then established a command post at the residence and continued the search. The Mecosta County Sheriff’s Office K9 unit assisted, and an additional K9 was requested through the Mecosta County Search and Rescue Team. A drone with a thermal scanner, provided by the Big Rapids Fire Department, was also deployed for an aerial search.

A ground search was organized and conducted in the area, simultaneous with the K9 search. The ground search teams consisted of deputies from the Mecosta County Sheriff’s Office, Mecosta County Probation and Parole, Morley Area Fire Department, Mecosta Township Fire and Rescue, Mecosta County Emergency Management, and the Big Rapids Fire Department.

After an extensive search, the child was located uninjured approximately a quarter mile southeast of the residence, having crossed a creek and swampy area. The child was brought back to the residence by one of the search teams and reunited with his mother. Mecosta County EMS evaluated and cleared the child.

This search was a collaborative effort involving members of the Mecosta County Sheriff’s Office, Mecosta County EMS, Morley Area Fire and Rescue, Mecosta Township Fire and Rescue, Big Rapids Fire Department, Morton Township Fire and Rescue, Mecosta County Probation and Parole, Meceola Central Dispatch, and Mecosta County Emergency Management.

_{Information courtesy of a release by the Mecosta County Sheriff's Office.}