From Daily Mail: A 13-year-old Missouri boy missing for more than four days has been found alive in a ravine near his home, but he remains in critical condition after suffering serious injuries, officials confirmed.
Dakota ‘Cody’ Trenkle Jr. was reported missing on Sunday morning after he left home on his skateboard, headed to a friend’s house near the 6400 block of Eagle Lane in the Goose Creek Lake community of St. Francois County.
When Cody failed to arrive, his family frantically turned to social media in hopes of finding clues about their loved one’s mysterious disappearance. With no leads, they contacted local law enforcement, who quickly began circulating flyers for the missing teen.
A large-scale search effort ensued, including members of the St. Francois County Sheriff’s Department, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, and community volunteers.
On Wednesday, after nearly 96 hours of searching, a trained bloodhound named Daryl from the Farmington Correctional Center K-9 Unit tracked Cody to a location about half a mile from his home, and 540 yards away from where his skateboard had been previously located.
Cody, who hadn’t had food or clean water in days, was lying in about a foot of water at the bottom of a steep, 240-foot drop ravine, according to FirstAlert4. He was assessed and found to have several ailments, including a traumatic leg injury, a brain bleed, severe dehydration, and other symptoms of extreme exposure.
Cody was listed in critical condition as of Thursday evening.
“This was an incredibly difficult search, both physically and emotionally,” said St. Francois County Sheriff Jeff Crites. “Finding Dakota alive after so many days is nothing short of a miracle. We are thankful to everyone who contributed their time and energy to bring him home.”
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