COLUMBIA, S.C. — A frantic search for a missing three-year-old boy in Chapin ended happily late Monday night, bringing relief to the community and law enforcement officers.
Officers from various law enforcement agencies, including the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), the FBI, and local firefighters, joined forces in the search, which lasted over an hour and a half.
"Within minutes, we probably had thirty officers on the ground," said Chapin Chief of Police Thomas Griffin.
The search began after Griffin’s department responded to a call about a missing child.
“His mother had seen him playing in the backyard approximately 10 minutes prior to our arrival,” Griffin explained. “Our officers arrived on scene and the protocol for a child that young who has gone missing is to search the residence.”
Due to the child’s young age, numerous agencies were involved.
“A K9 was requested from Lexington County as well as SLED. Anytime they deploy their K9, they deploy their drone team as well. The drones are equipped with FLIR, which allows them to see heat imaging of bodies at night,” Griffin said. “A helicopter was also requested by SLED, as well as bloodhounds.”
Law enforcement set up an incident command post at the entrance of the neighborhood, tracking all vehicles coming in and out.
“Given that it was such a big incident or call to service, we don’t want to keep the worst-case scenario in mind, but it is something we can’t dismiss,” Griffin stated.
After an intensive search, the child was found.
“One of our investigators, our captain, was conducting an interview with the father in the kitchen area when they heard something on the back porch. When they opened the door, there he was,” recalled Griffin.
The boy had fallen asleep on the back porch under a pile of couch cushions.
“99 percent of the time, the child is found in the home. Numerous times I’ve found the child under a bed asleep or in a closet asleep,” Griffin said. “It’s just that age when they are under five or six years old. Typically, if they find a comfortable spot, they are going to fall asleep.”
The successful conclusion of the search brought a sense of relief to the community and the officers involved.