Dogs Stays With Missing Child Until Help Arrives

When a two-year-old from Saucier, Missouri went missing, his parents were terrified that their little boy was in danger, scared, and alone.

A search party that included the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department set out looking for 2-year-old William Odom and followed a set of footprints that eventually led to a broken down truck about a quarter-mile from his home. “Every time we found his footprint, we found the [family] dog footprint right beside him,” Harrison County Sheriff Troy Peterson said.

“So the dog traveled with him all day,” Peterson explained. After several hours of searching the area, they finally found Odom asleep in an old truck and saw that he was never actually alone. “When the little boy was found the dog was still circling the truck and scratching on the truck,” said Peterson.

Police believe Odom, who is being tested for autism and is nonverbal, wandered off on his own. “He was inside the truck apparently sleeping. His back, when we got him, he had a bunch of stripes on his back that matched up to the seams in the truck. So we’re thinking he was just in the truck sleeping,” Peterson said. “It’s an amazing story. We’re very thankful that he is in good health. And we brought him home to his family.”