One happy ending
Sunday, June 4, 2006 2:57 AM PDT
Andrew Cutler
Argus Observer
VALE
A 2-year-old Caldwell toddler, who spent Tuesday night in a remote section of the Malheur County desert, was so close, yet so far away, from help.
Bryce Hinton was spotted in some brush by searchers on horseback around 1 p.m. Wednesday, about a mile from where he was last seen. Hinton's height and clothing helped camouflage the toddler.
“The whole time that 2-year-old was probably in sight of where all those searchers were,” Malheur County Sheriff's Office Undersheriff Brian Wolfe said. “But he probably didn't know it, and if he did know it, he didn't know how to get back to them.”
Hinton walked away from his grandmother, Sukcha Hinton, Caldwell, and two others Tuesday afternoon during an outing. He was lost for more than 15 hours near Mud Flat, about 75 miles southwest of Vale, close by the McNaulty Reservoir.
Rishelle Scott, who along with her sister, Lisa Johnson located Hinton, said the little boy was very happy despite the tough night he spent in the desert.
“I just don't think there are words to describe it,” Scott said. “It's a whole rush of emotions. We were going from thinking we had seen a cougar, the night had been pretty cold, you probably weren't going to find him doing very well. And there he was, I saw his little head bobbing above the sage brush. It was a thrill of emotions that's for sure.”
Hinton spent the night wearing only a t-shirt, pants and tennis shoes in temperatures which dipped down into the mid-30s. A cougar, spotted by searchers, in the area added to the concern for the searchers looking for the toddler.
“The problem was this kid is not heavy enough to leave any tracks, so it was really difficult to track him,” Wolfe said. “The air was dry enough it was hard for dogs track him. All of these things complicated the matter. We were worried about hypothermia.”
About 150 rescue workers, including ranchers and private citizens, turned out to aid in the search. The Malheur County Sheriff's Office, and the Malheur County Sheriff's Search and Rescue, along with Harney County Search and Rescue, Baker County Search and Rescue, the United States Bureau of Land Management, Oregon State Police, Canyon County Sheriff's Office and Malheur County Community Corrections were on hand to help.
“It proves we live in a fantastic community,” Malheur County Sheriff Andy Bentz said. “The vast majority out there were volunteers.” There were also two fixed-wing aircraft involved in the search, and two helicopters, one owned by a member of county search and rescue team and one from the Idaho Army National Guard.
“You pull out all the stops, because a 2-year-old does not know to get on a road and follow it out,” Wolfe said. “A 2-year-old doesn't know to follow a creek downhill.”
Wolfe said the cost of the search could top out at close to $40,000 for the 15-hour operation.
“Fortunately we don't have to come up with that much money, like with BLM, they had probably 65 or 70 people there. They just absorb that,” Wolfe said. “The state police doesn't send us a bill for the people that came from them. The volunteers don't send us a bill. Realistically, we will probably have, out of our budget, $1,000 out of it.”
