Missing toddler found alive 24 hours after leaving Florida home: ‘A miracle’

‘He’s definitely going to have something to tell his kids and grandkids,’ sheriff says of two-year-old

A two-year-old toddler has been found alive about 24 hours after he walked off from his home in Brooksville, Florida.

The Sheriff in Hernando County, Al Nienhuis, said JJ Rowland, who vanished on Thursday morning as his mother was napping, was discovered by a volunteer sleeping in a forest just before 11am on Friday.

“I was hoping and praying for a miracle. I certainly was not expecting one but, I think a lot of people were praying and prayer works,” the sheriff said, according to Fox 13.

The sheriff added that paramedics were set to examine JJ, but said that the child appeared to be in good spirits when he was found in the woods close to Parrot Middle School – located about half a mile north of his home.

“He’s definitely going to have something to tell his kids and grandkids about and I’m sure mom and dad are going to keep a closer eye on him from this point forward,” he added, thanking the more than 500 volunteers who took part in the search for the child on Friday morning.

The mother of the child told deputies from the Sheriff’s office that she had laid down for a nap with JJ at about 9.30am on Thursday, adding that he was nowhere to be found when she woke up. She looked for him for around an hour before calling the authorities.

The search started around 12pm on Thursday. The ground search was paused after dark but the authorities used infrared devices to search at night. A missing child alert was issued by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

JJ Rowland, 2, was found about 24 hours after leaving his home in Brooksville, Florida (Hernando County Sheriff’s Office)

At sunrise on Friday, the ground search restarted as hundreds of volunteers joined law enforcement. Horses, ATVs, K-9 units, and helicopters were also used in the search.

Heather Brandis took part in the search after making the trip from St Petersburg, Florida. She told Fox 13 that her kids are friends with JJ and that they spent time together as recently as this week.

“I couldn’t imagine ever in the world not looking, ever,” she told the local TV station.

Ms Brandis started searching close to JJ’s home at about 9pm on Thursday and didn’t stop until early Friday morning at around 4am. When she returned later on Friday morning, she became aware of the hundreds of volunteers that had joined the search and shortly after that, the news came that the toddler had been found.

“I’m thrilled!” she told Fox 13.

Shortly before JJ was found, the Sheriff’s office said they didn’t need any more volunteers.