The long holiday weekend started off poorly for a few residents of the Bitterroot Valley. This past Saturday there were reports of a missing child. The child was reported missing around 7:51 am on May 27th. The child is said to be a 4-year-old non-verbal autistic child. The child was reportedly not dressed for the weather conditions and could be in serious trouble.

Shortly after the report was made on the missing child, the Ravalli County Sheriff's office began searching for the young kid. It didn't take long for RCSO Deputy Robert McGavran to locate the child.

According to the Ravalli County Sheriff's Department on Facebook

RCSO Deputy McGavran responded quickly to the area and identified a creek, heavy with runoff, as the most dangerous and likely place for the child to be. He found the child and recognized the delicacy of keeping the child calm due to his special needs. He was able to reunite him safely with his mother. No medical attention was needed.

It was smart for Deputy McGavran to focus on the dangerous water as a possible location for the missing child. The website childmind.org, says that autistic children are more likely to wander off and explore dangerous places partly because they have a "weaker sense of danger than other kids." The colder than usual temperatures this past weekend, topped off with the ice-cold water, could have made for deadly conditions. Especially for a 4-year-old child.

Thanks for your service to the community, Deputy McGavran.

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