2-Year-Old Found ‘Naked, Dehydrated, With Scratches’ 36 Hours After Going Missing

A 2-year-old, who went missing from his house in Portugal, was found in a scrubland 36 hours after his disappearance.

The boy had vanished early Wednesday morning. Locals, who volunteered for the search, found the child more than two miles from his home in Proenca-a-Velha, located near the country’s border with Spain, according to Portugal Resident.

On the day of the incident, his father, who works in a farm in the area, had left the home early in the morning when the child was sleeping. When the mother woke up, she found the boy was missing.

The toddler was found Thursday night after the police and volunteers launched a search. The police said the boy appears to have left the house in the early hours when his mother and elder sister were still sleeping.

The boy, identified only as Noah, was found “naked, dehydrated, with scratches and cuts to his feet and legs,” Portugal Resident reported. One of the searchers spotted the boy walking along a dirt track surrounded by vegetation.

Authorities said the child was doing well. Military police chief Jorge Massano said Noah was “alive and well,” media outlet Sapo reported [Google Translate showed].

"In a straight line he was found 2.5 miles from the family home but it’s probable he’s covered around six... The area he was found in wasn’t searched on Wednesday but was one of the areas we were planning to extend the search to," he added.

Before the boy was found, the police discovered his T-shirt, shoes and other items near a river.

The child was reunited with his parents and was admitted to a hospital as a precaution to ensure his condition was stabilized.

Eugénia André, clinical director of the Hospital Amato Lusitano, confirmed that Noah was “conscious, lucid, collaborative and in good spirits.”

Authorities said this won’t be an end to the investigation, and they would probe the matter to get more details about the incident. The police sources told media the incident is currently being looked at as an “accidental disappearance.”