BROOKSVILLE, Fla — The missing 2-year-old toddler, Joshua “JJ” Rowland, has been found alive on Friday, officials with the sheriff’s office say.
Breaking News: Hernando sheriff says missing toddler Joshua “JJ” Rowland, 2, was found alive in the woods near his home this morning. The boy was barefoot and missing for nearly 24 hours. @BN9 pic.twitter.com/DMKGRmf6GA
— Josh Rojas (@JoshRojasBN9) February 24, 2023
"We have a great community, they are extremely supportive of law enforcement. As much as the parents did, they wanted that 2-year-old back with his parents. And they were willing to do anything," Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis said.
"Anybody who says prayer doesn't work - I don't believe it."
Retired Marine Roy Link found the boy. He said at the last minute Friday, he put off a fishing trip to help in the search.
“I listened good and I heard like a whimpering kind of noise,” he said. “And at that point I was like, ‘There’s no other kids here, it’s got to be JJ.’ Sure enough I went into the woods and about a hundred feet from where I was at, I think he was in some stickers.”
The boy was found in an area just south of Parrott Middle School.
“He wasn’t smiling but he was happy and he put his hands up in there and told me to come get him,” Link said. “So, I was calling his name and then I said his mom’s coming because I didn’t want to scare him.”
There were bug bites on his legs, but he was otherwise OK. He was taken to a local hospital as a precaution.
In addition to volunteers, about 100 deputies from surrounding counties helped in the search.
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Authorities in Hernando County continued searching for a missing 2-year-old toddler on Friday morning in the northern part of the county.
More than 200 volunteers arrived early to assist authorities in the search for Joshua “JJ” Rowland near his home in northern Brooksville around Cheever Road and Yontz Road.
Authorities stopped the ground search around 9 p.m Thursday.
Hernando County deputies continued the search Friday on the ground and in the air. They are focused on the area in northern Brooksville.
The search expanded to nearby Pasco and Citrus counties and authorities are using a variety of resources to aid in the search, Nienhuis said Friday morning.
“When you have a 2-year-old missing everyone comes out to help,” said Nienhuis. “The Florida Department of Corrections actually has several bloodhounds that they use to track for escapees that work great in this situation.
“They have several officers out here actually helping with the grid search.”
Deputies say Joshua left his home while his parent was asleep at around 9:45 a.m. Thursday morning.
Joshua has blonde hair and hazel eyes. He was last seen wearing a Batman shirt and dark gray pajama pants with tools on it. The sheriff’s office also says he may have a swollen lip.
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