Toddler missing for 3 days in Eastern Kentucky is found safe

UPDATED:Rescued toddler found on cliff hailed as 'true Kentucky mountain boy'

SALYERSVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky State Police say a 22-month-old boy has been found safe, almost three days after disappearing from his rural Kentucky home.

State police said in a tweet the boy — Kenneth Howard — was found just before 2 p.m. Wednesday in Floyd County in the area of a strip mine. He was taken by emergency medical services to be examined.

According to WYMT-TV, the boy was located on a 50-foot, steep incline cliffside, 1,755 feet away from his home, when crews heard him crying. The TV station said the boy was being treated for dehydration.

News outlets reported earlier that Magoffin County Emergency Management Director Robert Prater said the original search area was a half-mile radius from the home but widened to about 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) and included an old, overgrown mining operation.

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Magoffin County Search and Rescue Chief Carter Conley said crews were using dogs, ATVs, helicopters and drones with thermal cameras to search the rugged terrain.

Kentucky State Police spokesman William Petry said earlier there was no evidence of foul play. The boy’s father offered a $5,000 reward for the child’s safe return.

"He's tough, that little kid is. I can't believe all the help. I don't know how we're going to thank everybody. But we've had people from everywhere. I really don't know where all they've come from, out of state, and everywhere to help us," South Magoffin Fire Department Assistant Chief, Brent Handshoe, said, per WYMT.