Found Safe KY - Kenneth Howard, 22mths, Salyersville, 12 May 2019

[borndem]

Okay, after some google street view driving, I found Kenneth Combs Road (otherwise known on maps as Gayheart Cemetary Road) and the homes/buildings shown in some aerial shots. Sorry, its been a while since I've mapped. Hopefuly this works. Poor boy, there's a whole lot of wilderness out there and lots of swollen creeks. Attached is the map...

Kenneth Howard - 12 May 2019 - Google My Maps

Thanks for the map!
The houses are so spread out it that area -- and those woods look thick and dark -- it probably isn't as dense on the ground as it looks from above, but seems to me it would be very easy for anyone to get lost in those woods -- if that's where he went.
I haven't heard any positive news about the dogs or the drones -- maybe I just missed reports about them. Surely the dogs would have picked up a scent somewhere, or the drones some indication -- but maybe scenting and drone work are more difficult than I thought. And the area around there is huge. SMH.

 

[castilloisno1]

Well, I hope the "unofficial" search continues regardless of calling off the "official" search. Has it been indicated, sorry may have missed it, that foul play is not suspected? ...wondering. tia

I think @Trudie said in #135 that a news station is reporting no foul play

 

[rsd1200]

Ok, so it seems maybe the first story is right then. The dad stepped inside for a “minute” and all of a sudden his little boy is gone when he returns? Moo. How long was he out of his sight I wonder? If le wasn’t called for an hour, he could be anywhere. So heartbreaking. I feel bad for the family. Please find him soon.

It doesn't take long. In that terrain especially. It's also very easy to get turned around in the woods if you aren't experienced. Everything looks the same. He's too little to know how to find his way out. His home backs up to the mountains.

 

[Rhenish]

I think @Trudie said in #135 that a news station is reporting no foul play

Thank you, I had not seen that.

 

[rsd1200]

So, I’m an hour & some minutes from S-Ville. I just got off ph with a friend, asking him if he wanted to load our horses up early a.m. & help with the search, if allowed. If not, ride in the area, since we’d be there already.
He’s game but wonders, how far could a 22mo old travel?

You'd be surprised.

 

[Rhenish]

I think @Trudie said in #135 that a news station is reporting no foul play

Went back to post 135 and it does say that foul play is not suspected but it also indicates that "circumstances are not clear". I have to wonder about what is not clear.....when he was last seen and by whom, and where etc. ....that statement opens a whole can of worms in my opinion. I truly hope this is a case of a 22 month old simply wandering off but it could be so much more.... as, sadly, most of us here know.

 

[Trudie]

Went back to post 135 and it does say that foul play is not suspected but it also indicates that "circumstances are not clear". I have to wonder about what is not clear.....when he was last seen and by whom, and where etc. ....that statement opens a whole can of worms in my opinion. I truly hope this is a case of a 22 month old simply wandering off but it could be so much more.... as, sadly, most of us here know.

SD

 

[Trudie]

Thank you, I had not seen that.

Wlex has not updated page. I typed as they talked. In the morning, their site will be updated, imo.

 

[zecats]

Thanks for the map!
The houses are so spread out it that area -- and those woods look thick and dark -- it probably isn't as dense on the ground as it looks from above, but seems to me it would be very easy for anyone to get lost in those woods -- if that's where he went.
I haven't heard any positive news about the dogs or the drones -- maybe I just missed reports about them. Surely the dogs would have picked up a scent somewhere, or the drones some indication -- but maybe scenting and drone work are more difficult than I thought. And the area around there is huge. SMH.

Since he's under 2 years old, let's assume he's not potty trained and still wears diapers. Dogs would be able to follow or pick up the scent of a soiled diaper, I'd think. Just a thought and JMO Thanks to @Trudie for giving me that idea.

 

[Trudie]

Went back to post 135 and it does say that foul play is not suspected but it also indicates that "circumstances are not clear". I have to wonder about what is not clear.....when he was last seen and by whom, and where etc. ....that statement opens a whole can of worms in my opinion. I truly hope this is a case of a 22 month old simply wandering off but it could be so much more.... as, sadly, most of us here know.

I typed as fast as I could during live news.
I disliked hearing KSP
Is there some reason questioning parents takes priority over searching?
Do you know if the mom was at the home? Or just dad? Tysm

 

[rsd1200]

I think, from what little I know, no one is sure how long the little guy was gone, before anyone missed him.
I’m afraid, he’s entangled in weeds/sticker bushes or rolled down a ravine.
With the number of boots on the ground, any tracks he might have left have been disturbed, imo.
It’s already chilly. His family must be terrified he’s spending a second night in the woods.

I agree. It's extremely rugged terrain in that area, and they could walk near him and not know. If he's afraid he may not even cry out to answer them, or come toward them. The population is not huge either. Have to keep dogs and humans rested and ready to go out again. I'd be leaving out light solar lights along the edges of the woods in case he might see them. Sit in one spot and call to him. Voice carries further in the night.

 

[zecats]

I typed as fast as I could during live news.
I disliked hearing KSP
Is there some reason questioning parents takes priority over searching?
Do you know if the mom was at the home? Or just dad? Tysm

Mom not mentioned in any MSM or LE statement, except generic "don't know what parents were doing when Kenneth went missing" blurb. So can't answer that one. JMO

 

[Trudie]

I agree. It's extremely rugged terrain in that area, and they could walk near him and not know. If he's afraid he may not even cry out to answer them, or come toward them. The population is not huge either. Have to keep dogs and humans rested and ready to go out again. I'd be leaving out light solar lights along the edges of the woods in case he might see them. Sit in one spot and call to him. Voice carries further in the night.

He looks very michevious, as well as the hottest thing I’ve seen in diapers in years. (Levity)
I wonder if he took a tumble & has broken limbs? He’s got to be hungry, nearing dehydration.
I’m not around kids so young, idk how far one could go in 5 minutes. I’m surprised the family dog didn’t follow him, if they have a dog, most people in a holler have several.

 

[Mercedes]

It would be really wonderful if just one of these recent missing children cases could turn out to simply be a parent losing sight of them vs anything nefarious and have a happy ending.

Please!

The best way to lose your child is to not know they are missing until after they are found.

 

[rsd1200]

Thanks for trying. I could not find Kenneth Combs Road at all. One report stated it as Kenneth Combs Branch so I followed the river..lol.

I'll follow your suggestion. And, how weird is it the road and the child have the same name. Just saying.

He may be named after his grandfather or other family member. Land is handed down many times, or parted out to other family, and roads (some hollers) are also named after the original owners.

 

[borndem]

@rsd1200 wanna ride tomorrow?
It’s really lush right now, the rain has greened our bluegrass well.

I was thinking about that lush, gorgeous greenery -- it's beautiful.
I can see where a drone/heat sensor device might have trouble, but I know so little about how powerful they might/might not be.

 

[rsd1200]

He looks very michevious, as well as the hottest thing I’ve seen in diapers in years. (Levity)
I wonder if he took a tumble & has broken limbs? He’s got to be hungry, nearing dehydration.
I’m not around kids so young, idk how far one could go in 5 minutes. I’m surprised the family dog didn’t follow him, if they have a dog, most people in a holler have several.

I have. They are fast!! My gk. Constant motion, naps are when he just tips over and goes to sleep for 20-30 minutes. Goes down great for bedtime though! I was just thinking of him when I was reading about this little guy. Most kids grow up playing in the woods and creeks. He may have just chased a bunny or butterfly and wound up very lost. He has no sense of direction yet, or knowing how to read the sun, & other little things that help.

 

[rsd1200]

@rsd1200 wanna ride tomorrow?
It’s really lush right now, the rain has greened our bluegrass well.

I now only have a pony for the kids. She's a sturdy lil gal but she's gettin' a tad aged to pack a grown up very far.

 

[luvs2laugh]

SALYERSVILLE, Ky. (WKYT) - The official search for a missing toddler in Eastern Kentucky was suspended Monday night, although some volunteers search well into the evening to find the boy.

Investigators are looking for 22-month-old Kenneth Howard. He went missing Sunday night.

Carter Conley leads the Magoffin County Rescue Squad. He told WKYT his team was contacted around 8:30 p.m. Conley said Kenneth went missing around 7:30 p.m. and that the family spent time looking for him before calling the police.

Crews scoured the Kenneth Combs Road area of Magoffin County, near Floyd County. They've suspended the search until they get more information from investigators.

“If I had a picture of it to show the area the dogs covered it would look like spaghetti strung all over," said Magoffin Co. Search and Rescue Chief Carter Conley.

There is a wooded hillside behind and around the boy's home at the end of a hollow. The search grid is a half-mile radius from the house.

Two helicopters were called out to the area along with several search dogs. The dogs went over the area several times in the 24-hours-plus since Kenneth first disappeared.

“I mean how far can a 22-month-old child get? So at this time, we’re just concentrating on this area," said Magoffin County Sheriff Carson Montgomery.

One challenge the teams face is the terrain. It's covered in trees and brush, and it's steep. Crews told WKYT they've had to use ropes to get down in a ravine. They also used a side-by-side and almost flipped at one point.

Some are even more concerned because of the cooler weather and rainy conditions that have occurred since his disappearance.

"It's gut-wrenching. It really is," emergency manager and family friend Robert Prater said. "As cool as it got last night and the rain, you start to worry about hypothermia."

Search and rescue leaders say they've exhausted all of their resources and have done everything they know to do until they get more information from investigators.

It's unclear what Kenneth's parents were doing when he went missing.

Volunteers are also responding to provide water and food for search teams.

“We always hope, we always pray, that a 22-month-old will be found safe," said Chief Conley. "We feel that God has led us today with everything we do, and so we hope that He’ll continue to do that as we go forward.”

It's unclear when the official search could resume. Leaders say it depends on when more information is released.

Official search suspended for missing toddler in Magoffin County

 

[MsFacetious]

I have ridiculously slow WiFi, that’s why I didn’t link wlex again, maybe someone can?

If if this is now recovery, just no longer an official search.
But in all honesty, how far can a 22mo old go?

A lot further than a half a mile!

I hate these cases. So often the kids are underestimated and found outside the search radius. You need to double how far you think they can go.

Sometimes they wander 5 miles but end up 1 mile from home. Sometimes they stick close to home. You just never know. A half a mile is just not far enough.