Barefoot tracks through desert lead Phoenix chopper, Dad to missing brothers after 8-hour search
MOHAVE VALLEY, Ariz. - Two young brothers were found safe late Sunday night near a local casino after an intensive, eight-hour air and ground search across Mohave County.
What we know:
Brothers Atom Ward, 12, and Jack Ward, 10, sparked a major multi-agency rescue effort when they disappeared from their Mohave Valley home Sunday afternoon, prompting their father and emergency crews to track their footprints across the area — including tracks left by Jack, who was completely barefoot.
Atom Ward, 12, and Jack Ward, 10 (Mohave County Sheriff's Office)
Timeline:
According to the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office, the boys had last been seen around 3:50 p.m. on Oct. 11 leaving their residence in the 10000 block of Bridle Lane. Atom was wearing dark blue jeans, a black t-shirt, gray tennis shoes and possibly a black-and-white baseball hat, while Jack was wearing black cargo shorts and a pastel tie-dye t-shirt without shoes.
When the children failed to return home, their father began searching the surrounding neighborhood around 7 p.m. and discovered fresh footprints leading away from the property. Mohave County Search and Rescue units arrived on scene, confirmed the tracks belonged to the missing boys and took over the tracking operation.
As search teams moved along the trail with SAR K9 Mano, an Arizona Department of Public Safety Central Air Rescue helicopter was dispatched from Phoenix to provide overhead support. Rescuers and family members also contacted local businesses along the potential route to see if anyone had spotted the pair.
K9 Mano (Mohave County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue)
The eight-hour ordeal ended with tremendous relief around midnight when searchers located the brothers walking near the Spirit Mountain Casino, about six miles from the boys' home. Family members met search crews at the location and brought the boys home safely early Monday morning. Authorities confirmed both children were in good health, with 10-year-old Jack still barefoot when located.
Map of where the missing brothers vanished and where they were found:
What we don't know:
It remains unclear why the brothers wandered off from home in the first place or exactly how far they walked before being found.
The Source: Information in this report was gathered from the Mohave County Sheriff's Office and Mohave County Search and Rescue.