SAR volunteer finds missing Bend boy, 7

A Deschutes County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue volunteer found a lost 7-year-old Bend boy near a campground northeast of La Pine Monday evening, just over an hour after his mother reported him missing, authorities said.

The sheriff’s office was notified shortly after 5 p.m. of the missing child at the McKay Crossing Campground along Paulina Creek, about five miles east of Highway 97, said Sgt. Nathan Garibay, emergency services manager.

Deputies, U.S. Forest Service law enforcement and Oregon State Police quickly responded. A Bend Police Department bloodhound tracking dog also was called in, along with over 20 SAR volunteers, Garibay said.

The Bend police K-9 team found the child’s footprints and began tracking the child – but the SAR volunteer found the boy around 6:14 p.m. along Forest Service Road 2120.

The boy was in good condition, Garibay said, and reunited with his family.

Deputies learned the boy had become separated from his party and began searching for his brother. He had walked about a mile through the brush, toward the sounds of traffic on the road, Garibay said.