A missing toddler with autism has been found safe after disappearing from his family home in Florida with his two dogs in tow, WJHG reported.
3-year-old Marshal Butler of Ponce de León wandered away from home on June 3, triggering a desperate police search that ultimately led to the toddler being found in the safety of the family dogs who had refused to leave his side.
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The Walton County Sheriff’s office posted about the case on Facebook to help aid in officers’ search for the toddler.
“The child was last seen wearing only a diaper,” the post reads, adding that a K9 team has been brought in to help the search.
Because Marshal has autism, his family feared the worse, knowing he wouldn’t be able to communicate with anyone he came across.
The fact that he was last seen with their pups, Nala and Buckwheat, offered them only a small comfort.
Marshal’s aunt, Kayla Stewart, said the family was “terrified” while they anxiously awaited news of their missing member.
“We were panicked,” she told WJHG . “All sorts of worst case scenarios are running through their heads.”
Finally, after hours of searching, a neighbor found Marshal about a mile away from his home near a river.
The boy, who was covered in dirt but was otherwise unharmed, was discovered to still be in the company of Nala and Buckwheat who had apparently refused to leave his side.
“Both of his dogs were right there with him,” the neighbor, Carol Shelton, recalled. “[We’re] thankful that the pups kind of guided him along I guess they kept him safe.”
Marshal’s family is supremely relieved and grateful to have him back home again.
They’re also immensely proud of their two loyal pups who made sure the toddler was never alone and who kept him safe during his terrifying disappearance.
As Marshal’s mom explained, “They’re doing their job.”
The sheriff’s office shared a post to Facebook updating everyone on the case and confirming that Marshal had, indeed, been found safe.
The post , which also revealed that the boy’s dogs had stayed with him, has since gone viral, amassing over 1,500 shares and more than 3,000 reactions from users.
“So happy to hear he was found safe,” one person wrote. “So awesome the dog was found with him too! He was protecting him the whole time. Dogs are such loving animals!”
The office echoed this sentiment in a follow-up comment where they wrote, “We don’t deserve dogs.”
h/t: WJHG
