Boy Goes Missing, Cops Realize He Wasn’t Alone
Missing
The day was nearly over, and everyone worried. The six-year-old boy had still not been found.
They were in the woods where the boy had gotten lost when they found something one very seldom saw, or better said – a whom.
Lost
Public DomainKaydon Leach lived with his parents near the woods. At six years old, he enjoyed exploring the woods with his parents when they went for hikes and had tons of energy for playing outside.
Little did his parents know that he would get lost in the same woods, leaving them devastated.
Fighting
Public DomainHis parents had been under a lot of pressure with incoming bills and their stress, which led to them constantly fighting.
They had assumed their son was unaware of their talks, but he cared more than he seemed to have let on, leading to his disappearance.
Vanished
Public Domain
It was an ordinary Wednesday evening, the parents winding down after a busy day while Kayden played with his toys in the living room.
His mother wanted to tell him it was time for bed to find her son missing. She had only stepped away for mere minutes. How could he have disappeared so fast?
The Search 
Public DomainKaydon was last seen wearing gray sweatpants, a black T-shirt, and slip-on shoes. The search commenced as soon as they heard Kaydon Leach was missing from his family in Blount County, Tennessee.
All were wondering where the boy could have gone to or if something had happened to him. Their missing terrier, the black and white family dog, added to the peculiarity.
The Authorities
Public Domain
Spokeswoman Marian O’Briant, from Blount County, had described their resources being out all night, assisted by the military, who used a Black Hawk helicopter with FLIR technology to do an area search from above.
The authorities had deployed help as soon as possible to try and find Kaydon, but was he to be found?
Community Search
Public DomainAt 7 o’clock that evening, the search began. It was on a large scale with approximately 100 first responders in a 2.000-acre surrounding rocky, upland terrain.
Everyone from the neighborhood helped the search for boy, hoping, along with the parents, that the boy would be found soon. It didn’t end up being as they had expected.
Into The Night
PexelsThe search party grew worried as the air grew cold and the sky turned dark. They were running out of time.
There was still no sign of the boy, even with all the many people on the lookout. The parents clung to their hope of finding their son even as desperation grew. It hadn’t been a full day yet since he’d disappeared.
Feeling Hopeless
Public Domain
Night eventually fell as time continued. Some had retreated into their homes, having given up on the search with the promise to continue looking in the morning.
The woods are known to be filled with dangers, and anything could have happened to the boy. With this in mind, more started losing hope, and the authorities grew quiet, but Kaydon’s parents were not giving up.
Terrifying Noise
Public DomainTwo men came across a dark path between tall trees and spotted tracks, immediately guessing that they belonged to the missing boy.
They followed the tracks to bushes, sure to keep their flashlights on. A dangerous growl sounded from inside the bushes forcing them to halt in fear. What had that noise been from?
Half A Mile Away
Public Domain
In the bushes, there was the little boy. About 22 hours after Kayden’s disappearance, deputies spotted the little boy a half-mile away from his home. And the closer they got, the louder that sound of growling became.
They were happy he was safe, but they didn’t know what that growling was and how to best approach the situation.
Protector
Public Domain
Kayden wasn’t alone. In fact, he was accompanied by his guardian angel – the dog that left home at the same time with him.
The dog kept watching over the boy all that time, not leaving his side no matter what. The dog named Marco protected the little boy from wild animals and kept him company throughout the entire ordeal.
Safe And Sound
Public Domain
The boy was taken to the hospital to be checked by a doctor and to see if he was alright. The boy was totally fine.
Kayden was just a little dehydrated and incredibly happy that he was found. All in all, it took less than a day, so it was a successful operation that mobilized an entire community.
Hero
Public Domain
The dog Marco was a hero. Everyone made sure to let him know by giving him some extra treats and petting him extra hard.
The loyalty of a dog can go to surprising levels, and the boy’s dog is living proof of that. He stayed with Kayden in the woods for almost a day, not leaving his side for a second.
Going Viral
Public Domain
The mother of the boy posted the incredible story on her social media, and it quickly garnered a lot of attention. It was a fantastic story, after all. Many people liked and shared the post, and everyone praised the dog hero who stayed by the boy’s side through many difficult hours. Marco was a true hero, and no one could deny that.
In order to protect the privacy of those depicted, some names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed and are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblances to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.
