‘I expected him to be dead’: joy at son’s return described
TOLAGA BAY: As 3yearold Axle recovered in the hospital last night with his mother, his family cannot thank enough those who searched for 21 hours to find their little boy.
The boy went missing from his Tolaga Bay home with a small white dog in tow on Tuesday afternoon, sparking a massive community and police search effort.
Helicopters, drones and more than 100 volunteers scoured the area looking for Axle, who was found 3km from home about 10.45am yesterday on a hill face, ‘‘wanting his mum’’.
An emotional mother and father embraced their son after he was found.
Dad Glenn was awestruck and emotional yesterday evening when asked about how the family was feeling.
‘‘I can’t put it into words.’’
Any parent would know how difficult the 21 hours Axle was missing had been for the family, he said.
‘‘There were hundreds of people searching, some people were even jumping into the river at 10.30pm yesterday looking for him,’’ he said.
‘‘If I had to put [how we’re feeling] into a sentence it’d be that I wish every community in New Zealand was like this. They were amazing.
‘‘It was unreal. I expected him to be dead,’’ he later told RNZ.
‘‘He’s 3 years old in a nappy and Tshirt.
‘‘Like I’ve said to everyone, if that was me last night in my undies and a Tshirt I would be dead.
‘‘I’m not joking saying that. I don’t know how he did it.’’
Tairawhiti area commander Inspector Sam Aberahama said Axle was found 3km from home ‘‘wanting his mum’’.
‘‘Any 3yearold boy who is away from their mum is going to be really upset.
‘‘I never thought at any time that we’d lost hope.’’
‘‘Certainly, time was against us, but we kept openminded.’’
Damon Jeffery was the last person to see or hear from Axle before he disappeared on Tuesday afternoon.
Axle had been playing with Mr Jeffery’s dog, Bro, as he worked inside his bus.
‘‘All of a sudden they were gone,’’ he said.
When Bro returned home later without Axle, more fears were held for the boy’s safety.
‘‘I looked — honestly — I looked. The chopper looked, the police did. It was unreal how far out he was,’’ Mr Jeffery said.
Constable Richard Reeves told RNZ Axle must have found somewhere warm to sleep as he was in a ‘‘fit and healthy’’ condition when he was found.
‘‘I’d say he’s going to be a good little hunter if he’s got those sort of survival skills at that age.’’