A report of a missing child had first responders searching on the ground, and in the air, in the 300 block of North Sycamore Street on Tuesday morning.
Members from the Aberdeen Police Department, Aberdeen Fire & Rescue, Moore County Sheriff’s Office, and Moore County Public Safety were on scene near the bridge over the creek close to Elm Street.
Aberdeen Police Chief Brian Chavis tells Moore County News, a person called around 9 a.m. to report they saw a child around the age of 5-years-old, with no shoes on, playing alone under the railroad track bridge near the creek. The child then reportedly walked up an embankment to the railroad tracks and the caller lost sight of the child.
First responders were seen searching the area up and down the railroad tracks and along N Sycamore Street, along with the use of K9 dogs and drones. Chavis says Aberdeen Police reached out to local daycare centers, and checked updated missing child reports, and that no child has been reported missing by any guardians.
Out of an abundance of caution, Chavis says they continued to search using the K9s, drones, and by doing a grid search of a few hundred yards from the spot of the bridge. After about two hours with no evidence a child had been in the area, they cancelled the search.
Aberdeen Police put out a statement saying “the missing juvenile allegations were unfounded, and none of the investigative tools that were utilized indicated that a child had been in the area.”
A Moore County native who has spent more than 20 years telling stories across North Carolina and beyond. He’s worked with CNN, WRAL, and CBS 17, and now serves as a Video Journalist for ABC11. Patrick has a passion for breaking news and has earned multiple awards for his coverage. He’s also a certified NWS SKYWARN Storm Spotter and was among the first news videographers in the state to become an FAA-certified drone pilot.