Having your child go missing is an agonizing experience no parent should ever have to endure. And yet each year, that nightmare becomes a reality for the parents of 8,000 children in the USĀ reported missing. Justin Rutherford knows this agony all too well — his 3-year-old son,Ā Zachary, vanished without a trace on MondayĀ but luckily was found safe some 12 hours later. The video of their happy reunion is going viral, as it captures the emotional homecoming so many parents of missing children long to have but sadly don't always get.
Zachary Rutherford reportedly ran off with his pet Labrador around 7:30 p.m. Monday, while his mom worked on her car in the driveway.
The dog is said to have returned to the family's Alabama home around 10 p.m., but Zachary was still nowhere to be found. As the hours ticked by and the sun began to set, the boy's family was understandably panic-stricken.
Luckily, though, they weren't the only ones out searching for Zachary.
A massive search party was assembled to comb through the densely wooded area surrounding the home.
āThere was some dense woods and vegetation out there, trees, grass and briers, weeds and everything,ā Elmore County Sheriff Bill Franklin told WSFA. "Youāve got a situation out there. Iām sure there are snakes. I know out there you have coyotes."
The outlet reports that multiple law enforcement agencies joined in on the search efforts, including police from Birmingham and Dallas County. Authorities also brought out search dogs and an ALEA aviation unit to look for Zachary.
Though the situation looked bleak, volunteers did not give up hope, and shortly after sunrise, Zachary was found just 680 yards from his home.
The toddler was found by Ben Ready, a friend of the family and member of the Cajun Navy, who proudly filmed the boy's reunion with his dad beforeĀ sharing it on Facebook.
āWe are thankful for everyday men and women who step up during a time of need," Ready wrote in his post. "Great job to the good Samaritan who showed up with help in his heart, not affiliated with anyone, and let the Lord lead him to this little boy."
In the video, rescue volunteers can be seen driving the little boy through the woods on a golf cart to meet his dad, who scoops him up in his arms, appearing to be in shock.Ā
"You went on a little adventure last night, didn't you!" one volunteer can be heard saying, shortly before the boy is whisked away, presumably back to his home.
"[Zachary] had some scratches and bruises, but he's going to be OK," Franklin later told the Montgomery Advertiser. "We really couldn't have asked for a better outcome, unless it was finding him sooner."
Needless to say, the boy's parents can't thank their friend enough.
On Wednesday, Justin Rutherford took to Facebook to pen a message of gratitude to Ben.
"Thank you, Ben Ready," Justin wrote, alongside a photo of himself with Zachary and a photo of Ben. "From finding hogs in the woods to finding my son. You're the hero and to know I walked right by him. Thank you man."
In a separate post, the grateful papa opened up some more about how terrifying those 12 hours were, and how absolutely earth-shattering the thought of never seeing Zachary again truly was.
"I just want to let everyone know how [thankful] I am that my mini me is laying beside me itās been one of the hardest longest days/night of my life," Justin wrote. "Just knowing that my whole world could of been taken from me in the blink of an eye. Zachary is not only my son heās my best friend."
