Dogs, deputies find missing Florida toddler with autism safe in woods

A special-needs 3-year-old was found safe Sunday after wandering into the woods in the Florida Panhandle.

The boy has autism, according to WPTV-Channel 5.

"We are glad to report the child is back home. Other than a few scratches and bug bites, he is doing well," the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office posted on its Facebook page.

Deputies, who were called at about 11 a.m. Sunday, said he opened an unlocked door and ended up "wandered into a large wooded area" near a home.

Bloodhounds, brought in to help find the boy, picked up the child's scent about 200 yards into "an extremely wooded and muddy area" and found him curled up into a ball under heavy brush.

Since the sheriff’s office started using bloodhounds last year, the dogs have found nine people including missing senior citizens and children, and criminals on the run.

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