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3-year-old boy reunited with grandparents after wandering Millcreek streets

Posted at 6:51 AM, Jul 01, 2016
and last updated 2016-07-01 19:16:37-04

MILLCREEK, Utah - A 3-year-old boy was reunited with his family after he was found in the middle of a street in Millcreek.

The boy was spending the night at his grandparent’s house. When they woke up around 6:30 a.m. to check on him, he was gone.

“Of course they were in a panic,” said Detective Ken Hansen with the Unified Police Department.

The grandparents had no idea the boy took off in the middle of the night.

Police got a call Friday morning from a person walking near 3900 South and 2000 East just before 4 a.m.

"We just got off work and we saw a 3-year-old walking down the middle of the street at 4 in the morning," they said during the call.

The boy told the man his name was Nathan.

Caller: "He's in his pajamas, and as far as he knows his mom and dad are at home, and he doesn't know where he lives."

Caller: "He's crying, he's a little scared."

Dispatcher: "OK."

Caller: "We reassured him he's OK."

Police used an emergency notification system to contact nearby residents via phone, but they didn’t have any luck.

Nearly three hours after the boy was found, his grandparents called police.

They believe he sneaked out through the front door.

“He was able to reach up and unlock the deadbolt on the front door,” Hansen said.

Nathan ended up about a block and a half away from his grandparent’s house, but police aren’t sure what time he left the residence.

“Unfortunately, our concern was it's night-time and he was out in the middle of the street. Thank heaven someone saw him and picked him up,” Hansen said.

Before the next sleepover with grandma and grandpa, police recommend they raise that deadlock so nothing like this happens again.