While covering the disappearance of a 14-year-old boy with no legs, KSL reporters Randall Jeppesen and Shara Park found the missing teenager this morning near his home.
Concerned about the boy’s safety as temperatures dipped below freezing last night, police had been searching for him using dogs and a helicopter that can track body heat, according to KSL. After reporting on the boy’s disappearance during KSL’s morning newscast, Park spotted him around 8:25 a.m. today.
“Breaking: I just found the missing teen from The Millcreek area,” Park, who had been providing updates about the search on Twitter this morning, tweeted.
“I saw him in the bushes in front of his house, as I approached he went around the back of the house,” Park said. According to KSL, Park and Jeppesen were across the street from the house when they caught sight of the handicapped teen.
After confirming the boy’s identity, they alerted his parents and the police.
“The missing teen looked to be in good shape for the few moments we saw him,” Jeppesen said.
The boy had apparently spent the night in a neighbor’s yard before wandering back to his foster family’s house.
After KSL posted the story on its site this morning with the headline “KSL reporters locate missing teen,” Park responded by tweeting, “Nice headline, but I’m not the story. 😉 I’m just glad this boy is home safe and sound.”