1 Year Later, Family Of Boy Who Went Missing Urge Precaution
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - It has been nearly a year since a 5-year-old boy went missing during one of the hottest days of summer.
Last July, Scott Meyer snuck out the front door of his house in western Wisconsin and ran off.
Because he is non-verbal with autism, hundreds turned out to try to find him. A search volunteer and his dog discovered Scott the next day after he'd spent a night in the nearby woods.
Scott was found dehydrated and had more than 80 deer ticks on him.
The mere seconds it took for Scott to sneak out of his house led to more than 20 hours of frantic searching and a desperate plea from his parents during the night of the search.
Nearly a year later, Dick and Barbara Meyer remember the search vividly, even the painful memory of a false sighting.
"We had told him after the false sighting that we didn't want to hear until he was in an officer's arms. It still hits me once in a while," Dick said. "We didn't want another false sighting. Once we got the word that he was found we knew it was true."
Scott, now 6, just finished kindergarten and has begun saying a couple words.
As part of the Project Lifesavers program, Scott and his brothers have also begun to wear transmitters on their ankles, allowing authorities to easily find them in an emergency.
"I would just stress to parents to try it. Give it a try," Barbara said.
Them Meyers say Scott had a great school year, and is becoming more sociable.
Jason Moser, the man who found Scott, has kept in touch with the Meyers. He even made an appearance at Scott's 6th birthday party.
Today, Scott shows no sign of Lyme disease or any other health issues.
