Close Ad

Parents Have Most Raw Reaction When 3-Year-Old  Is Found After Being Missing For Days
Missing boy Anthony Elfalak
Uplifting News

Parents Have Most Raw Reaction When 3-Year-Old Is Found After Being Missing For Days

The pure elation that this family must have felt is indescribable.


Lost for 4 days

It was a manhunt that had all of Australia on edge. Three-year-old Anthony “AJ” Elfalak had gone missing from his family's rural home, prompting a search that involved 385 people, The Washington Post reports.

AJ’s mother, Kelly, thought the boy — who is on the autism spectrum and is unable to speak — had been kidnapped and a family friend agreed, but police didn't issue an Amber Alert. They thought something else must have happened.

By the fourth day, it was looking less and less likely they'd find AJ.

“Some of the searches we don’t have good outcomes, and we were getting to a timeline with this one that was sort of starting to fade,” Special Constable Kevin Drake, a helicopter pilot with the New South Wales police force’s aviation-support branch, told news outlets.

An indescribable feeling of relief

The Elfalaks live on nearly 700 acres of property that backs up on a "maze" of canyons, cliffs, and bushland. Spotting the boy through this terrain was an extremely tall task, especially considering he couldn't yell to let them know where he was.

But at 11:30am on the fourth day of the search, Special Constable Drake spotted AJ drinking water from a muddy puddle.

“I couldn't believe it, actually,” Drake told reporters on Monday.

“It was a really good feeling.”

Special Constable Kevin Drake

On Instagram, Good News Movement shared the incredible moment when the Elfalak family heard the news.

An unforgettable smile

After being examined by doctors, AJ appeared to be "remarkably" healthy, with only cuts on his lower legs and a diaper rash.

It is believed that he survived by drinking muddy water, and may have also hidden in a wombat hole to save him from the freezing cold rain that fell while he was lost.

State Emergency Service Chief Inspector Simon Merrick reportedly said the moment AJ was rescued was truly unbelievable. As the rescuer walked over and put his hand on his shoulder, AJ "turned towards him with a massive smile on his face that he will not forget.”

Miracles do happen

For the Elfalak family, all hope must have been lost. How could a toddler survive in such rough terrain, especially one on the autism spectrum?

But thanks to a tremendous search effort, he was found. Who says miracles don't happen in real life?

More uplifting stories:

Hot Stories

Why Jennifer Hudson Forgave Her Mother's Killer -- Life Stories By Goalcast

At the peak of her career, Jennifer Hudson faced a horrific family tragedy. Hudson's mother and brother were brutally attacked in their family home, and her seven-year-old nephew was kidnapped. What followed was a heart-wrenching manhunt to rescue her nephew and seek justice against the man who took her family. Hudson speaks from the heart in this video on what happened to her family and how she was able to move forward.

Celebrities
ideas and thinking

bright ideas

The 21st century has brought great new opportunities for entrepreneurs. The digital revolution has completely changed the way we live -- and the landscape for aspiring CEOs and innovators.

powerful-business-woman

Keep ReadingShow less
Entrepreneurs
Lots of Dollar Bills

Save what you have to double what you make.

Everyone talks about money -- some because they don’t have enough, some wish to make more, and some are simply obsessed with it. It has always been this way, but nowadays, making money seems to be the main goal on everyone’s 'to do' list.

We’ve never had so many options when it comes to products, technology and services, and salesmen constantly try to convince us that we need them all to live a happier and easier life. But do we?

Keep ReadingShow less
Authors