Arcadia 3-year-old's trek amazes survivalists

CRYSTAL CITY, Mo. -- Survivalists, doctors, even the parents of Joshua Childers marvel at how the 3-year-old, barely clothed, survived for 52 hours alone in the untamed woods of Missouri's Mark Twain National Forest.

Joshua managed to unbolt a deadlock on the back door of his family's mobile home just before noon Monday. He survived rain and two chilly nights, ponds and creeks, hills and boulders, ticks, bears, mountain lions and snakes. He had no food or water, and by the time he was found three miles from home, was wearing only a T-shirt and one sneaker.

Joshua's father, Adam Childers, turned down interview requests Thursday but spoke briefly to reporters after the child was hospitalized Wednesday.

"I don't know how he did it," Childers said. "I don't know grown men that could do it. But all I can say is he's a tough little bugger."

Experts agreed the biggest risk the boy faced during his time in the wilderness was hypothermia. Temperatures dipped into the 40s, and heavy rain blanketed southern Missouri Tuesday night. When volunteer searcher Donnie Halpin found Joshua late Wednesday afternoon, he was soaking wet, splattered with mud, but apparently healthy.

"Once you get wet, a temperature in the 40s is pretty dangerous," said Dr. Robert Kennedy, a professor at Washington University and an emergency room physician at St. Louis Children's Hospital. "Certainly there have been black bears and mountain lions in that area, but the cold was more dangerous to him."

Cody Lundin, who operates a survivalist skills school in Prescott, Ariz., and has written survivalist books, said Joshua's age may have worked to his advantage in the wilderness.

"Little kids don't have any qualms about doing weird stuff," Lundin said. "He probably didn't have any problem burrowing into some leaves or using whatever was around him to keep warm. What hampers a lot of adults is they don't want to get dirty or they're afraid of bugs. Not a little kid."

Peter Kummerfeldt, who operates a survivalist training program out of Colorado Springs, Colo., agreed.

"A 3-year-old doesn't know he is in a survival situation and just does things instinctively to protect himself, like an animal," Kummerfeldt said.

Adam Childers described his son as "a little country boy" who had cut wood and played in the snow with his dad.

Madison County Sheriff David Lewis said the parents did nothing wrong, and there is no criminal investigation. Adam Childers works an overnight shift and was sleeping at home Monday morning. The child's mother was watching him, but was briefly distracted by a phone call. Adam Childers said the child had figured out how to unlock the deadbolt.

"The case is absolutely closed," Lewis said. "I see no neglect. It can happen to anyone."

The couple quickly realized the boy was gone. Their mobile home sits right next to the woods, and they searched on their own for about 45 minutes before calling police.

Professional search and rescue crews from as far away as Illinois were joined by hundreds of volunteers. The search included planes and helicopters, boats and divers, ATVs, horses, donkeys and dozens of trained dogs.

Lewis conceded that if a third full day had passed without finding the child, he doubted the boy would be found alive. Searchers, too, were growing increasingly pessimistic, until word began to leak at a command center that the boy was alive and well, leading to a happy celebration.

In the end, Kennedy said, parents need to be aware that toddlers are curious, and always on the move.

"This should be a reminder to parents that kids that age are in full explorer mode and they need extra-close supervision," Kennedy said.