Emily Blatter contributed to this report
Hillsdale County Police confirmed to The Collegian that 9-year-old Jace Lyon, who has been missing since Jan 18, was found on Friday evening. He is uninjured and safe.
“Everybody’s happy that he was found safe and in good health,” a spokesperson from the sheriff’s office said.
According to a press release from the Sheriff’s office, Jace Lyon was found at 6:51 p.m. in Fayette Township. In a video, Sheriff Tim Parker said that Jace Lyon was found in a residence on North Hillsdale Rd., about one mile from his house. The resident found Jace Lyon hiding in his home and called the Sheriff’s office to alert them of his whereabouts.
Parker said that Child Protective Services will be speaking to Jace Lyon and will investigate his home life.
The Hillsdale Sheriff’s office, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, and State Police have been actively searching for Jace for more than 48 hours. The Federal Bureau of Investigation also offered services.
Hillsdale Campus security and volunteer students and faculty also aided in the search. On Friday morning, about 100 volunteers from the Hillsdale community rallied at the Field of Dreams this morning to comb the area for Jace Lyon, last seen Wednesday evening. But, no progress had been made, despite more than seven hours of volunteer efforts.
A bloodhound was able to trace Lyon’s scent east from his home, suggesting that he headed toward the swampy countryside near Half Moon Lake Road. Officers spent the night searching door-to-door for Lyon, but they were unable to locate him.
The volunteers began searching the area on foot at 9 a.m., but found nothing. They planned to regroup and try again in the morning.
Campus Security Director Bill Whorley deployed campus security resources to help search for Lyon, and several students from the College also joined the hunt. Roughly 10 students helped search for Lyon this morning, accompanied by Associate Dean of Men Jeffery Rogers.
Police said that they received a call from Tanya Lyon at 9:04 p.m on Jan 18., saying that she had just returned home from work and her son Jace Landon Lyon was missing from their residence at 1611 E. Moore Road, in Fayette Township.
Parker said in a video interview that Tanya Lyon received a call from Jace around 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday saying that he was home, and was going to make some dinner. Parker said that Tanya Lyon typically calls her son every 30 minutes to check in, but he didn’t pick-up the phone when she attempted to call back several times.
Parker said that Jace Lyon has run away from home several times.
In the press release, Sheriff Parker thanked the many volunteers who assisted in searching for Jace.
“This is the outcome that can happen when the community comes together to aid one another,” Sheriff Parker said.
