MADISON HEIGHTS, Mich. – A missing 6-year-old was found safe Sunday night after a massive search in Madison Heights, even involving the FBI, where he was found inside a home a block away.
Local 4 satdown with the man who spotted him and captured the heart-stopping moment he was found.
We also spoke to the child’s foster parents. They say they are grateful their son is home and safe.
La’Bron Brinkley and his family live just behind the home where the 6-year-old lives in Madison Heights.
The Brinkley family was heading home after a full-family Sunday. That’s when they were shocked to find a child in their family shower.
He shared the video with Local 4.
“Hey, Buddy! We have positive ID. We found him,” one officer said when entering the bathroom
“We found him,” another officer said.
“He must have been in here for a while,” Brinkley said in the video.
An ordinary Sunday turned into an unforgettable surprise.
“We left the house about 5, no, maybe 6:15 a.m.,” Brinkley said.
Brinkley is a worship pastor at a nearby church. After service, they stopped at home for a bit, then headed back out at 2:52 p.m. to spend time with family.
Their home sits just behind the home where the 6-year-old lives.
About a half-hour after they left, the child’s foster parents reported the child missing, and a massive search surged into motion, even involving the FBI.
“We get here, and closer to here we start receiving Amber Alerts at about 13th and Dequindre area, we start getting Amber Alerts, and we are like ‘Wow, that’s where we live,’” Brinkley said.
When they pulled in, the alerts weren’t just buzzing; they were hitting close to home.
He stepped inside and realized their sliding glass door had been accidentally left unlocked.
“We normally have this closed, but when I walked in from behind, it was like that,” Brinkley said, while showing the curtain wide open.
“I noticed that something in the kitchen was totally out of place,” Brinkley said.
Then, another clue cut through the quiet – he could hear water running.
“Walked up and I heard the raucous, and I turned, and he was literally sitting in the bathtub, and I just ran back out,” Brinkley said.
He sprinted back out and flagged down officers outside the house. Inside, the bathroom was flooded.
The 6-year-old was surrounded by toys from Brinkley’s son’s bedroom.
And their family dog, Nala, was right there too, calm, close, and keeping him company.
“We gave him towels to wrap him up in,” Brinkley said. “They actually laid him right here on this very couch.”