Missing autistic boy, 6, is found alive in Kentucky woods after walking out of bushes to greet search horses

Roman Heilman, a non-verbal autistic six-year-old, spent three days alone in dense Kentucky woodland before walking out of the trees directly toward a mounted search team that had been out since before dawn. His diaper, pants and jacket had turned up earlier, raising fears for his safety, but he had suffered nothing worse than scratches thought to have come from thorny vegetation and was responsive when paramedics assessed him.

Horse trail rider Jacob Mullins said Roman walked out saying 'E-I-E-I-O horsey' and was carried down the mountain on horseback after being given water and snacks.

Kentucky State Police issued an IAN Alert — the protocol for missing under-18s with autism or mental illness — after Roman vanished from Tadpole Road in Louisa on Sunday afternoon.

The search through the Lawrence County hills brought in hundreds of volunteers, horses, drones and aircraft over three days; more than 70 searchers were still deployed on Tuesday morning when he was found.