Toddlers survive alone for days after car wreck kills mother in Arkansas
CAMDEN, Ark. -- A 3-year-old boy and his 1-year-old brother survived alone for about two days after they were passengers in a single-car wreck that killed their mother in south Arkansas. The older boy was found first, wandering alone on Monday morning along a road in Camden, about 85 miles southwest of Little Rock, authorities said.
Authorities posted the boy's photo online in hopes of identifying him and learned that his mother hadn't been seen for days.
Police returned to the area later Monday where the boy was found and discovered a wrecked car in a "deep ravine not visible from the road." Authorities found the body of the boy's mother, who had been ejected from the car, and his 1-year-old brother awake and alert in his car seat.
Investigators believe the wreck happened on Saturday or Sunday, Little Rock TV station KATV reports. They said the older boy was able to climb out of the wreckage.
The toddlers' survival is even more remarkable given the heat over the weekend, when high temperatures reached well into the 90s, Detective Nathan Greeley of the Ouachita County Sheriff's Office told KATV.
"Today is anything but short of a miracle," Greeley said. "The 3-year-old and 1-year-old being able to survive in the elements ... it's nothing short of a miracle, God's blessing, that these children were able to survive this accident."
The younger boy was taken to Arkansas Children's Hospital to be treated for dehydration, but his condition isn't life-threatening, authorities said.