A 15-year-old Blackwell-area boy was found uninjured after members of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and firefighters from the De Soto Rural and High Ridge fire protection districts searched for him for a couple of hours Tuesday evening, Feb. 20, officials said.
Grant Bissell, spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office, said deputies were notified about the missing boy at about 8 p.m. that day, after he hadn’t been seen since returning home in the 15000 block of Dickinson Road between 4 and 4:30 p.m. The home is south of Blackwell near the Jefferson/St. Francois county line.
The boy was known to have wandered away in the past, the report said.
Bissell said members of the Sheriff’s Office, including its bloodhound, and firefighters searched, using at least one drone. Deputies were notified at about 10 p.m. that the boy had been found safe and uninjured at a home on Dickinson Road in St. Francois County.
Sgt. Tim Harris of the St. Francois County Sheriff's Department said deputies received a call to investigate a person who was on a porch of a home. When they arrived, deputies realized it was the missing boy.
"He was cold and wet from crossing the (Big River), but was otherwise fine," Harris said.
After the boy was found, High Ridge Fire Chief John Barton spoke to the child’s caregivers about signing up for Project Lifesaver a, a tool used to find children and adults with cognitive conditions who are prone to wandering.
Project Lifesaver uses a radio frequency transmitter and an antenna that receives signals from the transmitter to track people who are prone to wander and wear a small transmitter. The transmitter resembles a watch. The average rescue time to find a child using Project Lifesaver is 30 minutes, according to the program’s website.
The High Ridge Fire Protection District began participating in Project Lifesaver in 2014, offering the service to those who live within that fire district.
In 2019, the Jefferson County Health Department, Sheriff’s Office and 911 Dispatch teamed up with High Ridge Fire to expand the program countywide. About 25 first responders in Jefferson County are trained Project Lifesaver rescuers, Barton said.
Through a grant, the Health Department may enroll up to 100 people in the program for free. Caregivers may call the Health Department at 636-797-3737 to schedule an appointment or fill out a request form online at jeffcohealth.org/community-health.