Toddler Wanders Away From Home After Crawling Out Of Bed, Found Dead Hours Later

An hours-long search for a missing toddler boy, who crawled out of bed and wandered away from home at night, came to a tragic end after his body was found around half a mile away from his home in Okemah, Oklahoma.

Two-year-old Ares Muse was reported missing Monday after his father woke up and realized his son was no longer in bed. The father said that his son crawled into bed with his parents hours before vanishing from the house, KOCO 5 reported.

It is believed Ares escaped from the house sometime between 1:30 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. Monday.

The family's house is located on tribal land, according to the Kansas City Star. The toddler managed to get past three locking mechanisms and make it out of the house, said Jason Salsman, a spokesperson for the Muscogee Nation -- a self-governed Native American tribe with 86,100 citizens.

Investigators set out to look for the missing child, who was last seen alive Monday at around 1:30 a.m., wearing black footie pajamas with orange and green dinosaurs, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol said.

The 12-hour search ended with Ares' body being found around 6 p.m. Monday more than half a mile away from the family's home.

"We talked all day long about wanting a good outcome, and we didn't get that," Salsman told the outlet. "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."

"We hate to be able to give news like this, it's very unfortunate. But we do come together," Trooper Eric Foster with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol said. "And we had a lot of citizens reach out as well wanting to help, and that's just Oklahoma and we are proud to be a part of that."

Details about how Ares passed away remain unclear. Investigators are waiting to find out the child's cause of death, which would determine whether the case is criminal in nature or an accident.

The deceased toddler's grandmother spoke to KOCO 5 and described Ares as the family's pride and joy. The boy loved dying Easter eggs and enjoyed helping his dad with his motorcycle, the grandmother said.