Family Dog Credited as Reason Wandering Toddler is Still Safe!

June 25, 2018 Abuse and Neglect Attorney
Dog with head out the window
Apollo, the family’s dog is the reason a little boy was found!

Apollo, a Van Buren County’s boxer/pitbull mix is being credited with saving a toddler’s life. Just days ago the boys mother, Myhia Perez, came home from working the third shift to discover that her almost 2-year-old son, Princeton, was missing. The little boy had been sleeping in bed with his dad, but was mysteriously gone.

According to Perez, Princeton usually tackled his dad the moment he woke up, which the family had come to expect as a form of notification that he was awake. So when the boy woke up and climbed out of bed quietly, Perez’s boyfriend had no idea their son was awake, and kept right on sleeping…

The family lived in a rural, heavily wooded area.

Police has since pieced together what happened. Apparently Princeton woke up, figured out how to unlock the front door, and wandered away from the family’s home. Because the house is located in a somewhat isolated area, with nearby woods and swamps, Perez says she fully expected to find her son lying face down in a muddy puddle. She was terrified and devastated.

Perez and her boyfriend searched the area surrounding the house and barn, but all they found were a few of Princeton’s favorite toys, abandoned on the ground and lying in mud puddles. They searched for a few minutes and then called the police. But the family’s dog, Apollo, was also missing.

Officers searched for the boy for hours…

Search dogs were brought to the area, but in the end it was Apollo’s paw prints, left while he followed Princeton, that led officers to the little boy. Right before officers were preparing to launch drones to find the boy he was discovered, with Apollo sitting nearby. Princeton had lost his diaper somewhere during his roamings, and was found covered in little scratches and bug bites. But most importantly, he was just fine.

According to Van Buren County Sheriff Daniel Abbott, the incident didn’t seem like anything more than an accident. However, despite this perspective, the police will still be forwarding the case to the prosecutor’s office and Child Protective Services. “If they want to get involved at that point, the ball’s in their court.” Abbott told the media, and knowing CPS, they probably will.

CPS rarely knows when to walk away!

The family has already installed new locks on their doors, and Princeton was checked out at a local hospital in Paw Paw and determined to be fine. However, despite the fact that this situation was completely unintended (a determination which the police agree with), CPS may still choose to investigate, to burden the family with unnecessary parenting classes, or add stress to their lives by threatening to intervene in their family life.

Here at The Kronzek Firm we understand that accidents happen. That good parents sometimes make mistakes, and that occasionally a situation gets screwed up and no one is to blame. But CPS and the prosecutor’s office sometimes don’t accept that fact, and they have a habit of trying to involve themselves where they’re not needed. If that sounds like your situation, call our skilled child abuse and neglect defense attorneys immediately at 866 766 5245, and get the help you need to fight government overreach. We are here for you!