A 2-year-old boy who got out of his Okfuskee County, Oklahoma, home was not found for more than 12 hours, even after having been searched for by many different groups. News on 6 said that Ares Muse was last seen at his family’s home in Okemah between 1:30 and 6:30 a.m. on Monday. Jim Parish with the Department of Safety said the boy’s parents said he had crept into bed with them during the night.
Around 6:30 a.m., Muse’s dad woke up and saw that the toddler wasn’t there. He was last seen wearing black pajamas with dinosaurs on them in bright colors.
The young boy’s father said the home was locked up when the toddler got out
The father of Muse told the Department of Safety that the house was safe that night. News on 6 says that the toddler somehow turned off a three-lock system before using the front door to leave the house.
When the police found out the toddler was missing, they called several groups to help look for him. The news source said that Jason Salsman, a representative with the Muscogee Creek Nation, said that K-9s and drones were used by the police to try to find the toddler’s parents.
Reports say that more than 20 police departments across the state were looking for the 2-year-old.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol issued an alert for the missing toddler
On Monday, while police were looking for the boy, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol sent out an Ashanti Alert. However, the Department of Safety said the state agency sent out the wrong alert.
The US Department of Justice says that the federal Ashanti Alert Act was made a law in 2018 to remember Ashanti Billie, who was 19 years old and was kil*led in 2017. People between the ages of 18 and 64 who go missing have been told about the alert by police, the media, and the public.
As police continued their search for the boy, the state agency put out a “endangered missing” alert sometime after 3 p.m.
Law enforcement personnel discovered the toddler’s body later that day
The search for Muse ended Monday night when the boys’ bodies were found not far from his home. The police chief, Salsman, told reporters that the body they found was that of the missing toddler.
He said, “We talked all day about a good outcome and we didn’t get that.” “Unfortunately, it’s my job to let everyone know that we did find the boy, but he was already de*ad.”
“It’s unfortunate, but that doesn’t take away from the effort and from how we need to be there in our hearts and minds for this family,” he said.
Law enforcement is investigating the toddler’s de*ath
Authorities have opened an investigation into Ares’s dea*th despite the lack of information regarding his cause of d*eath. According to Salsman, the toddler’s family is assisting law enforcement. It’s unclear if foul play is thought to have occurred.
According to Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper Eric Foster, state law enforcement agencies collaborate when a person goes missing, as reported by the Kansas City Star.
“It is very unfortunate that we must break this news to you. However, we do band together,” Foster remarked. “And a lot of people reached out to us wanting to help, and we are honored to be a part of that. That’s just Oklahoma.”
