An Oregon detective described it as "a needle in a haystack," but a search in the woods resulted in the discovery of a 1-year-old boy lying naked in the dirt, The Oregonian reported.
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Detective Doug Jackson said he was part of a 50-member search party searching for Bradley Michael Thomas. According to a Facebook post by the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, authorities began searching for the child after his father, Brandon Michael Blouin, 25, of Belpre, Ohio, came out of the woods around 6 a.m. Thursday.
"Blouin is believed to have been under the influence of a controlled substance when he made the choice set him down and walk away," deputies wrote.
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Blouin told deputies that he had looking for the child’s mother and had been running through sagebrush with Bradley. He put Bradley down near a fence, The Oregonian reported.
More than six hours after he went missing, Jackson found Bradley lying naked in the dirt. He was wrapped in a jacket by deputies and taken to paramedics, The Oregonian reported.
"I don't think we could've gotten a much bigger win than this," Jackson told the newspaper. “When you have a needle in a haystack situation like this, it could go a number of a different ways. It was very much a team effort, and I'm just thankful that we found the kiddo."
Blouin was booked into the Deschutes County Jail on Saturday on suspicion of first-degree criminal mistreatment, second-degree child neglect, third-degree assault and endangering the welfare of a minor, the sheriff's office said.
The child's 18-year-old mother is not facing any charges, according to the sheriff's office.