Watch CBS News

Boy, 4 who walked away from Antelope school found two hours later by gas station employee

4-year-old found safe after walking off Antelope school campus undetected
4-year-old found safe after walking off Antelope school campus undetected 00:29

ANTELOPE — A 4-year-old boy who was missing for more than two hours after walking away from an Antelope school was found safely by a gas station attendant, the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office confirmed Wednesday afternoon.

Authorities said the boy walked away from Cyril Spinelli Elementary School, which is located along Scotland Drive behind Sierra Creek Park. The park is located along Watt Avenue between Elverta and Antelope roads.

According to the sheriff's office, the child crossed Watt Avenue and was later located by an employee at a nearby Arco gas station.

The employee contacted the sheriff's office, then the sheriff's office contacted the school. A spokesperson for the sheriff's office said it was never contacted by the school about the missing boy.

In a statement to CBS Sacramento, the Center Joint Unified School District said the student left campus undetected after using the restroom. The statement read, in part:

"The safety of students and staff is of the utmost importance. It is, in fact, one of our highest priorities. For this reason, we strive to never let incidents like this occur, and we are currently interviewing the staff at this school to determine how this incident occurred, and we will be reviewing our student supervision and safety protocols with all of the Center Joint Unified School District elementary school staff members, as well as our campus security measures."

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.