Gone without a trace.
An innocent outing with his grandfather turned into a nightmare for 7 year old Isaac Sprague.
"You never think it is going to happen to you," said Isaac's grandfather Michael Sprague.
The child disappeared Thursday in Hilmar, while the two were out shooting a bow and arrow.
Around eight hours later, rescuers found the autistic boy crying in a foot of water in the frigid Merced River.
"Not only could they wander off, they could be abducted," said Madera County Sheriff John Anderson.
A radio transmitter bracelet used by the Madera County Sheriff's Department could have sped up the process of finding the boy.
This equipment can detect a radio frequency within a couple of miles, from a bracelet worn by those with a history of disappearing.
"We start at the center and branch out. We've located people that have wandered as far as 20 miles away but we've still been able to locate them," said Anderson.
In one case the Sheriff said they found a five year old child within an hour.
"You can't even comprehend the feeling when one minute somebody is there and you come back and a few minutes later they're gone and no matter what you do you cant find them," said Sprague.
Isaac's grandfather didn't call for help until an hour after he went missing.
Authorities say don't wait.
Every second counts.
An innocent outing with his grandfather turned into a nightmare for 7 year old Isaac Sprague.
"You never think it is going to happen to you," said Isaac's grandfather Michael Sprague.
The child disappeared Thursday in Hilmar, while the two were out shooting a bow and arrow.
Around eight hours later, rescuers found the autistic boy crying in a foot of water in the frigid Merced River.
"Not only could they wander off, they could be abducted," said Madera County Sheriff John Anderson.
A radio transmitter bracelet used by the Madera County Sheriff's Department could have sped up the process of finding the boy.
This equipment can detect a radio frequency within a couple of miles, from a bracelet worn by those with a history of disappearing.
"We start at the center and branch out. We've located people that have wandered as far as 20 miles away but we've still been able to locate them," said Anderson.
In one case the Sheriff said they found a five year old child within an hour.
"You can't even comprehend the feeling when one minute somebody is there and you come back and a few minutes later they're gone and no matter what you do you cant find them," said Sprague.
Isaac's grandfather didn't call for help until an hour after he went missing.
Authorities say don't wait.
Every second counts.