Boy, 5, Back With Mother After Found Wandering In Plainfield: Sheriff

PLAINFIELD, IL — A 5-year-old boy found walking around a Plainfield subdivision Tuesday morning was reunited with his mother, according to the Will County Sheriff's Office.

Officials issued an alert Tuesday attempting to locate the boy's parents. Around 11 a.m., deputies responded to the area near Crete Court and Covington Drive in Plainfield's Lakewood Falls subdivision for a young boy who appeared to be wandering the area without supervision, according to spokesperson Kathy Hoffmeyer.

While deputies canvassed the area in search of the child's caregiver and address, personnel from the Lockport Fire Protection District arrived and assessed the child, finding no health concerns. The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services was also called to the scene to assess.

In the meantime, Hoffmeyer said a reverse 911 call was activated throughout the neighborhood, and shortly after, dispatchers received a call from an adult relative of the boy, who said where they lived and explained they had been caring for the child while his mother was off at a doctor's appointment. The boy wandered off without the caregiver knowing, they told police.

The reverse 911 call was canceled, and the boy was reunited with his mother. Other children were also in the home at the time and were all in good health, Hoffmeyer said.