The search for Noah Chamberlin, the 2-year-old boy who went missing in Chester County, Tenn., last Thursday after he wandered away from his grandmother during a hike, came upon a major development yesterday leading law enforcement to believe the toddler is nearby. This news comes a day after local authorities held a press conference in which they expressed their belief that Chamberlin was still in the woods somewhere.
Madison County Sheriff John Mehr said evidence that search teams have found led law enforcement to believe the toddler is still in the woods, but he declined to specify what that evidence was.
"We have some leads that we have recovered," Mehr said, according to USA Today.
This development is a major boon for law enforcement who were forced to search at night without the aid of volunteers due to forecasted winter weather on Tuesday and continued to do so Wednesday.
"It's too treacherous and muddy," said Chester County Sheriff Blair Weaver, according to The Jackson Sun.
"It's dangerous out there. In those hills, it's really muddy, and it's frozen overnight," Madison County Fire Chief Eric Turner said. "It's just added to it. It's just so slick you can hardly walk through there."
The search for Chamberlin began a week ago after he was reported missing after his grandmother and 4-year-old sister lost track of him while they were walking together in the woods off Short Road, reported the Associated Press. Noah's grandmother told police that she looked away from him for only a short moment, only to turn around and find him gone.
Chamberlin was last seen wearing a long-sleeved gray shirt and blue jeans. He is described as being 2 feet tall and 25 pounds with blond hair and blue eyes. Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Chester County Sheriff's Office at 731-989-2787 or the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation at 1-800-TBI-FIND.
