Local

Investigators ramp up search efforts for missing 3-year-old boy in Lowell

LOWELL, Mass. — The search continues early Wednesday morning for the missing 3-year-old as neighbors in the Pawtucketville area of Lowell were on edge Tuesday, after the neighborhood was filled with officers.

“It’s unsettling for having a little three-year-old missing out in the woods here,” said Brian McGee, a neighbor.

Police say between 150 and 180 first responders have been out looking for the boy on foot, by helicopter, on bicycles, ATVs, and even horses.

“There’s an enormous amount of assets that have been amassed to help look for and find this child, and we’re going to continue those efforts until we do find the child,” said Chief Barry Golner, interim superintendent for the Lowell Police Department.

It’s been an all-hands-on-deck search for this boy named Harry.

“It seems like they’ve done a really thorough search, they’ve had all the cadets lined up, they did I guess shoulder to shoulder search and still nothing,” said McGee.

Police say the boy was dropped off at his babysitter’s house on Freda Lane at 7:15 Tuesday morning.

A neighbor saw the boy in the backyard at 9:15 a.m.

Then at 9:30 a.m., police got the call that he went missing.

“I would have thought they would have found him a lot quicker, you know, being a 3-year-old and how far a 3-year-old can travel,” said McGee.

Police say the challenge is this boy went missing near a state forest with a massive, wooded area and wetlands nearby, so officers were out searching those woods all day.

“Just as a precaution, any body of water, you know it does border the state forest in some areas, any pools, we searched every backyard, every house we could search, so we’re trying to leave no stones unturned and make sure we do our diligence,” said Chief Golner.

Now as the search continues into the night, police hope neighbors will also keep a lookout for this little boy.

“We do ask when you come home, could you please thoroughly check your locations, so we can be those eyes and ears and extensive of our resources,” said Chief Scott Nix, with the Sudbury Police Department.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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