Community News

LISA ARROWSMITH

CARNWOOD, Alta. (CP) - Toddler Zack Hill was gone in the blink of an eye but saved after 16 freezing hours in bush country by a flash of his blue coat and the sighting of one tiny little arm.

The 20-month-old was found shivering by a creek in central Alberta more than 16 hours after he disappeared off the back porch of his family acreage home near Carnwood, 65 kilometres west of Edmonton.

His disappearance sparked a frantic overnight hunt involving about 40 police and civilian searchers, two helicopters and search dogs.

One of those helping was Hill's cousin, Darla Shipton.

It was Shipton, 26, who was checking a creek bank more than a kilometre from the family home around 10 a.m. Friday when something caught the corner of her eye.

She saw the arm of the boy's coat flashing at the bottom of a tree.

"I saw this blue thing over in the corner and looked over and this little arm went up. I jumped off my horse and I grabbed him," she said.

"He kind of snuggled into me. I took my coat off, wrapped him up. I called my dad and we put him on Dad's horse. He saw the helicopter going over and pointed up and went 'Helicopter.' It was pretty cute."

Shipton said the boy was dressed in a fall coat and had his hood up, but said he was so cold his teeth were chattering as she held him against her to warm up.

She admitted she was terrified while looking for the boy but never gave up hope.

"It's not something I'd want to go through again," she said.

"I wouldn't wish that upon my worst enemy, losing their munchkins. I got three at home and that's all I kept thinking about. What if that was one of mine?"

Shipton said that when Zack was reunited with his mother, Sandy Shipton, 23, and father Travis Hill, Shipton hugged and cuddled the boy on the living room couch after spending hours panicked and worried at what might have happened to her first and only child.

The toddler and his mother were flown to hospital in nearby Drayton Valley, where doctors decided to keep him overnight for observation.

The boy is surrounded by family members who aided in the search.

One relative who declined to be interviewed called the discovery of the boy "miraculous,"adding it was tough to hold out hope with marsh and creeks so near to the family home.

RCMP Cpl. Mike Ferguson said there was some light rain as well as cold temperatures overnight while they were looking for the little boy. But searchers kept hoping for the best as they worked through the dark hours.

"For a toddler to be out in those conditions is definitely an emergency that definitely could have some dire consequences and I think in this case we're really lucky - he must be a tough little guy," the police officer said.

Ferguson said it was painstaking work looking for a small child.

"If they're mobile and curious they can get almost anywhere at all. So the physical search on the ground is basically leaving no stone unturned. Anywhere that a toddler might get to has to be checked."

Zack wandered off with the family dog around 5:30 p.m. Thursday. After a frantic search, the mom reported him missing just before 8 p.m.

The search began as overnight temperatures hit -1 C.

Police said the family dog returned home last night.