I had a very similar incident with two boys who showed up on my doorstep in Kentucky. They were soaked, muddy, and had two dogs with them and it was just getting dark out. Hmm, what’s this about? I asked the older one if they were lost, and he confirmed. But also said he knew where he live. He just didn’t know where he was at the moment. Turns out they lived a couple miles from me on the same road, and I figured their folks would be sick with worry, so I loaded the dogs in the back and wrapped the yonger one in everything I had to keep him from freezing (so he could keep the dogs from jumping out, besides the fact my little Ranger was a 2-seater) and set off to take them home. Got to their place and waited for the older one to climb in a back window and let the younger one in, and told them to stay put until their folks got home. I drove back to my place and found a minivan parked in the driveway and just about to leave. I asked who they were and sure enough they were the parents of the two boys. The conversation went sorta like:A while back, I came out of the cabin about 5AM to drink some hot tea on the porch and found a 3-4 year old boy in bare feet, a diaper, and a t-shirt standing at the bottom of the steps.
Temp was probably 45*F, and we had no idea where he came from.
He wouldn't talk, so we called the sheriff. (1 hour+ response time)
I started walking around the area, and after an hour, I saw a guy walking around obviously looking for something or someone.
He said the boy was his, but seemed totally unconcerned that his kid had wandered off.
"He does this all the time."
The boy was 1/4 mile from the cabin where they were staying.
I was stunned by his attitude.
Keep in mind we have regular visits by mountain lion, bobcats, coyotes, bear, rattlesnakes, and occasionally coral snakes, wolves & badgers.
Me: Can I help you?
The Mom: “Have you seen two boys?”
Me: Yes, I just drove them all home.
Her: Were the dogs with them?
Me: Yes.
Her: Were the dogs okay?
Not one word of concern for the boys. I was shocked.
