Missing 13-year-old survived 4 days at bottom of ravine without food, MO cops say

A 13-year-old boy injured in a skateboard accident survived four days without food and water before being rescued, Missouri authorities say.

The boy from Goose Creek had last been seen July 27 riding a skateboard, but he was reported missing when he did not return home, according to the St. Francois County Sheriff’s Office.

When his skateboard was found about a half-mile from his home on July 30, investigators called a K-9 unit for extra support, the sheriff said in a news release.

A Farmington Correctional Center K-9 named Darrell trekked down a “steep and heavily vegetated terrain,” where he found the missing boy “at the bottom of a ravine,” authorities said.

The boy had suffered a “traumatic leg injury,” the sheriff said, and he was discovered 240 feet below where his skateboard was found.

“(He) endured 96 hours of being exposed to the elements without food or water,” according to the sheriff. “Due to (the boy’s) current condition, he was airlifted by ... helicopter to a St. Louis area hospital for emergency medical care.”

Authorities are continuing to investigate but said the incident appears to be accidental.

Goose Creek is about a 60-mile drive south from St. Louis.

This story was originally published July 31, 2025 at 5:24 AM with the headline "Missing 13-year-old survived 4 days at bottom of ravine without food, MO cops say."