missing children

3-year-old found alive after missing for days in woods released from hospital Monday

Tuesday, October 12, 2021

Child found alive 4 days after going missing is home

We are still so thankful about this! Christopher Ramirez was found safe in what his mother called a miracle. Despite some scratches, his mom said he is healthy.

GRIMES COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- A 3-year-old boy found alive after wandering off into the woods for four days is finally back home.

Christopher Ramirez was treated at Texas Children's Hospital in The Woodlands and The Medical Center in downtown Houston for two days before a police escort Monday brought him home to a crowd of neighbors, family and loved ones.

Family could bring home on Monday the 3-year-old boy who had gone missing for four days in the Grimes County woods.

Grimes County Sheriff Don Sowell said the child was found by a landowner off FM 1486 near Highway 249 over the weekend after he followed a dog into the dense woods last Wednesday.

Christopher Ramirez is home! The 3-year-old's mother talked with reporters, remarking on the "miracle" that her little boy is home.

"I didn't sleep. I didn't drink because he didn't," said Sowell when he described the search process. "I think he had a guardian angel over him the entire time."

Sowell said Christopher was found around 11:45 a.m. Saturday.

According to Sowell, there were 48 agencies that formed a coalition to help find Christopher.

"They were team players and kept the movement going, and we prevailed," said Sowell.

ORIGINAL STORY: Missing 3-year-old Grimes County boy has been gone with no clear trace to follow

On Monday, Christopher's mother, Araceli Nunez, thanked everyone for their efforts.

"I am very happy to have my son in my arms, and I want to thank all of you for your dedication," Nunez said. "Thank you to all the volunteers. I don't know how to repay you, but God will return the favor."

When law enforcement drove Nunez to confirm whether the boy they had found was indeed Christopher, Nunez said she just knew that was her son.

"This is definitely a miracle," said Nunez. "I know I'm a good mom, and this happened in a matter of two minutes. This can happen to anybody."

When mom and son were reunited, Nunez said the first thing she did was hug him.

"I cannot even put into words what I felt when I saw my son again," she said.

He was dehydrated, tired and hungry, but in good spirits when good Samaritan Tim Halfin found him.

"I don't know what to make of it. All I know is he was found safe. When I picked him up, he was still talking. He wasn't shaking, wasn't nervous," Halfin told "Good Morning America."

Halfin described finding Christopher as "divine" because the man said he'd only heard about the missing boy during Bible study, so he set out to find him on his own.

"'Christopher, is that you?'" Halfin said, recalling the moment he found the child, who was about 10 yards into the forest.

Halfin said volunteers didn't feel like they could sleep because Christopher wasn't sleeping or found yet.

"That's what it's about right there. That's why everybody was out praying. That's why God laid it on my heart to go look to reunite that boy with his mom," Halfin explained.

GMA EXCLUSIVE: Watch the interview with the landowner

"Christopher, is that you?" The good Samaritan who stumbled upon a missing boy said God laid it on his heart to help him. Here's why.

Juan Nunez, Christopher's grandfather, said that the boy had scratches on his body and face and appeared to be very scared, weak and tired.

Nunez said he believes Christopher took off his clothes while in the woods, but it did not appear that he was harmed by anyone.

It wasn't clear exactly how far the child had wandered from his home, just off FM 1774 on Deer Park Lane, or where he'd been the past four days.

The search outside of Plantersville had gone on virtually non-stop thanks to multiple agencies and volunteer groups, including the FBI and Texas EquuSearch.

HIT PLAY: Grimes County sheriff describes little boy's rescue