Arcadia toddler being kept in hospital for observation

CRYSTAL CITY, Mo. -- A 3-year-old Missouri boy who survived 52 hours in the woods of the Mark Twain National Forest will remain in the hospital into the weekend, though doctors said his prognosis is excellent, a spokesman for the hospital said Friday.

Jefferson Regional Medical Center spokesman Rick Fischer said doctors want to continue to monitor Joshua Childers.

"Exposure causes a lot of things to happen to the body, and at that age especially," Fischer said. "We need to make sure he's properly hydrated and that any bug bites or scrapes are treated."

Joshua woke up hungry and asked for bologna Friday morning. "They made him a special bologna sandwich plate," Fischer said.

The family remains with the boy at the hospital in Crystal City, about 65 miles from the boy's home. "Clearly, they're exhausted and elated at the same time," Fischer said.

Relatives have turned down several requests for interviews.

Childers slipped out of his family's mobile home near Arcadia in rural Southeast Missouri around 11:30 a.m. Monday, wearing a T-shirt, pull-up diaper and sneakers.

A massive search was launched for two days and nights to find the child in rugged terrain.

On Wednesday afternoon, volunteer Donnie Halpin was searching for the boy about three miles from the child's home. He spotted two dogs sniffing at something. He looked closer and found Joshua, who smiled at him.

Halpin said he didn't have any water but gave the child some candy, called 911 to let authorities know he had the boy, then took off his own shirt and wrapped the child in it and carried him about a half-mile to a house. A woman at the house gave Joshua milk, cleaned him up, and put a blanket on him until authorities arrived.

Hundreds of volunteers from as far away as St. Louis, 100 miles to the northeast, came to help in the search. So did professional search and rescue crews from dozens of agencies.

The area is home to bears, mountain lions and snakes. Three ponds sit within a couple of miles of the boy's home, as do many creeks swollen by recent rains.

Joshua's parents said they think he was only out of their sight for a few minutes when he opened a door and wandered out. His father works an overnight shift and was home sleeping; his mother was briefly on the phone when the boy slipped out the back door.

Madison County authorities have determined the parents were not neglectful and said there will be no criminal investigation.