Christopher Wilson, an 11-year-old boy who went missing yesterday afternoon in Sydney’s Hills district, has been found safe and sound.
They had last seen him shortly after getting off the school bus in Annangrove and fears for the boy increased as temperatures plummeted overnight.
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A member of the audience saw Christopher walking along Annangrove Road, near Joylyn Road, shortly after 9:30 a.m. Thursday.
He had no visible injuries despite the cold night and was assessed at the scene by NSW ambulance paramedics.
He has been taken to hospital for further evaluation and arrangements have been made to reunite him with his family.
Before he was found, Christopher had been last seen walking along Annangrove Road to Langlands Road in Annangrove at around 4.45pm on Wednesday, shortly after getting off the school bus.
Police say they were alerted when Christopher did not return home.
They did a thorough search of the area during the night, as temperatures dropped to 4ºC.
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“He was only wearing shorts and a jacket,” Hills Police Department Superintendent Darrin Batchelor told a news conference Thursday morning.
“One of our officers spoke to Christopher’s family this morning, they’re obviously very anxious, especially at night with the temperatures as they’ve been up here in the Hills: they’ve been pretty cold.”
It is understood that the 11-year-old had no cash or food.
Christopher Wilson, 11, was found safe and well after a member of the public saw him. Credit: NSW Police
The properties that line Annangrove Road are mostly large areas and properties, with some backed by a reservation, so police had asked residents to search their own properties to help them find Christopher.
“We searched for a number of abandoned properties last night along Anngrove Road, and since they are all surfaces, I can only hope that Christopher has found his way to a shed or somewhere and has his head down for at night, “Batchelor said before finding the boy.
Their disappearance was considered “extremely out of character” and police say Christopher’s family called them “almost immediately”.
Police were also concerned about Christopher’s well-being due to his age.
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He was described as an Aboriginal-looking / Torres Strait Islander, about 120 cm tall, of slender build, with short brown hair and brown eyes.
Christopher had last been seen wearing a school uniform, which consisted of a blue T-shirt with maroon and white trim and gray shorts, and red and black shoes.
When police reported Christopher’s last sighting at 4:45 p.m., they said he was “about 4 miles from home, alone.”
“A member of the public had seen our post on Facebook and contacted the police, and they had CCTV footage outside the property,” Batchelor said.
NSW SES assisted police Wednesday night in finding Christopher. Credit: NSW SES
Christopher’s family confirmed that the boy in the picture was Christopher, and police said he was also wearing a black jacket and a black backpack.
When school resumed Thursday morning, Batchelor said police received “a large number of 000 and Crime Stopper reports … obviously seeing children in the same uniform.”
“We need these calls to arrive and each one will be tracked.
“What I can also ask is anyone traveling on Annangrove Road yesterday between 3:20 pm and 6:00 pm, if you have a picture of the dashboard camera, look at it to see if you can see Christopher walking.”
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The properties along Annangrove Road are mostly large areas and properties, so police have asked residents to conduct their own searches. Credit: Google Maps
Hills Police Area Command police, assisted by officers from neighboring commands, joined the search during the night by a fixed-wing PolAir aircraft, Police Rescue officers and 15 SES members.
A large-scale search resumed on Thursday with the headquarters set up at The Hills Fire Control Center in Kenthurst run by a dedicated search coordinator.
Police have sent a geo-oriented text message to the Hills area.
If you receive a message from +61 444 444 444, NSW police report that it is not a scam.