NEW WAVERLY, Texas - Authorities confirmed on Sunday the 3-year-old who was reported missing Saturday has been found safe in the Sam Houston National Forest.
The boy, named Ezra, was reported missing Saturday afternoon after wandering away from a campsite near New Waverly.
Authorities said the child was found around 2 p.m. Sunday by his stepfather and cousin. He was found in a dense thicket of briars about 400 yards from his family's campsite.
"We were calling out his name, and he happened to answer very lightly," said Ezra's cousin, Lalaine Dungca. "We heard it, called for him again and we ran straight towards it. He was really in shock and he was scratched up from head to toe and really dirty."
"I asked him 'Were you scared?'" said Jeremy Cooper, Ezra's stepfather. "He said 'yes,' I asked him 'Did you sleep?' and he said 'Yes, in the grass.'"
"I don't know how he did it," said Cooper. "He's a trooper. 24 hours? He's strong."
Searchers call what happened a miracle.
"How did he do it? I don't know," said Tim Miller, with Texas Equusearch. "God had a special hand on him and we were just his little workers."
New Waverly firefighters and EMTs assessed the 3-year-old and quickly moved him to a waiting Walker County EMS unit.
He was treated at the scene for minor scrapes and dehydration. First responders said the child was alert and in good spirits.
He was taken to Texas Children's Hospital in The Woodlands to be checked out, authorities said.
Officials were about to begin a scheduled press conference at 2 p.m. when they were notified the 3-year-old had been found.
Word quickly spread amongst family members and emergency personnel and there was a joyous atmosphere on the scene as crews began returning to their home agencies.
Ezra was reported missing nearly 24 hours before he was found in the forest.
The campsite where the boy was last seen was in a remote area and was not a formal campsite, officials said.
In a press conference held at the scene at 9 p.m. Saturday, officials said they did not want volunteers to search for the child yet.
They said they did not want to flood the forest with different scents so as not to confused the dogs assisting in the search effort.
More than 20 agencies aided in the search and rescue including Walker County Sheriff's Office, New Waverly Fire Department, EMS, Huntsville Police and Fire Departments, Sam Houston State University Police Department, Walker County Constables, Montgomery Fire Department, U.S. Coast Guard, Texas Equusearch, among others.