Autistic boy, 6, missing for three days in Kentucky walked out of the bushes to greet volunteer horse riders

Roman Heilman, a non-verbal autistic six-year-old, spent three nights alone in the hills and woods of Lawrence County after walking away from his family home on Tadpole Road on Sunday afternoon. Before his discovery on Tuesday morning, rescuers had already found his diaper, pants and jacket. Roman then emerged from the bushes — scratched and without clothing — and approached riders on a horse trail a mile and a half from home.

Jacob Mullins, a Louisiana horse trail rider, said Roman walked straight out saying 'E-I-E-I-O horsey' before being given water, wrapped in a sweatshirt and carried down the mountain on horseback.

The search drew hundreds of volunteers, horses, drones and aircraft across three days; more than 70 people were still actively looking when Roman was finally located.

Kentucky State Police issued an IAN Alert — the notification triggered when under-18s with autism or mental illness disappear — and praised the community response as Roman was found alert and assessed by emergency medics.