Photo: Getty Images
On Friday, March 31st, two-year-old Waylon Loftis went missing from his family’s Tecumseh, Missouri, home. His mother, Marinda Loftis, had put the toddler down for a nap, but despite having safety devices on all the home’s doors, Waylon got out and went chasing after a dog. When they discovered he was missing, the family contacted the Ozark County Sheriff, who initiated a search of the area using drones, dogs, and nearly a hundred volunteers.
Jonathan Belt from nearby Bakersfield was among the volunteers who showed up to help search for Waylon. The paramedic who was formerly in the military didn’t know the Loftis family, but says he’s well suited for the job and felt he needed to help find the tot. Just before the sun went down, Belt says the wind stopped blowing and he could hear a whimpering coming from nearby, leading him right to the missing boy.
Waylon’s mom is thankful to have her son home safe and unharmed and says she can never repay Belt for finding him. “He’s a hero,” she says, “Everyone who showed up is a hero.” And Ozark County Sheriff Cass Martin says it speaks volumes about their community that so many rallied to find the boy. “They don’t know anything about these people,” Martin says. “But they are willing to put everything they possibly can to find this child.”
Source: KY3