A desperate search continued Monday for an Oregon toddler last seen playing in his family’s front yard two days earlier, authorities in Siletz said.
Dane Paulsen, age 2, was reported missing at 4:25 p.m. Saturday, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. The brown-haired, green-eyed tot was wearing a grey fuzzy hoody with ears, blue and white shoes, and black pants when he vanished.
“At the time of Dane’s disappearance, he was playing in the front yard of their residence and out of sight of his parents,” the sheriff’s office said Sunday. “Dane is friendly and fearless, and is comfortable around strangers and water, but cannot swim. Dane is known to love water and vehicles.”
At first police were eying a “vehicle and an adult male” that had been spotted near a bridge not far from where Dane lived about 30 minutes before he had disappeared, considering it a “vehicle of interest.” But later on Sunday the sheriff’s office said police had found the vehicle, spoken with the driver, and determined that “this subject and the vehicle are no longer a point of interest.”
Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office via AP
This photo provided by the Lincoln County, Ore., Sheriff’s Office shows Dane Paulsen, a missing 2-year-old boy last seen playing in a yard. (Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office via AP)
Authorities did not issue an Amber Alert because there was nothing to indicate a crime, a Lincoln County spokesperson said during a press conference, according to KATU-TV.
The community has mobilized for the massive search, with dozens of volunteers helping numerous agencies comb nearly 400 acres of woodland. Four watercraft, four drones, six K9s, 40 investigators and 138 community volunteers were involved, the sheriff’s office said.
Oregon State Police were assisting the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and its enforcement division, Search and Rescue (SAR), and Mounted Posse, authorities said. Also assisting are the Lincoln City and Newport police departments, the FBI, Siletz Valley Fire, and the sheriff’s offices of Lane, Clackamas and Polk counties, plus the Corvallis Mountain Rescue Unit, Mary’s Peak Search and Rescue, and Region 3 K9, authorities said.
Divers were searching the river, and drones equipped with cameras and thermal imaging equipment were scouring the terrain from above.
“Once again, we thank our community for their compassion and assistance,” the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office said. “Our team and the community are working tirelessly to bring Dane home.”
With News Wire Services
