Search Party Finds Two Missing 12-Year-Old Boys

A search party of police officers and dogs, volunteer firefighters and Fairfield County HazMat were out on a rainy Tuesday night after two 12-year-old boys on Cross Hill Road were reported missing at 9:30 p.m. The friends were found on the edge of the woods in the 300-block of Pepper Street at 6 o'clock this morning.

"There’s a lot of tired cops here, but a lot of happy cops here," Monroe Police Lt. Brian McCauley said Wednesday morning.

He said the boys, who had both runaway from home, appeared to be okay and were checked on by Monroe Volunteer Emergency Medical Services personnel.

Police do not know why the boys decided to run away, but McCauley said their parents were distraught throughout the ordeal and supportive of efforts to find them.

"They are now with their families," McCauley said.

Officers spent the night looking for "associates and friends" for leads to check out, in addition to participating in the search party. Monroe Fire Department spokesman Kevin Catalano said there were 20 officers and 80 firefighters on the scene.

Much of the search was in Wolfe Park.

"Many speciality emergency vehicles were brought in, including a rehab unit from Echo Hose Ambulance of Shelton," Catalano said. "The parking lot was packed with emergency vehicles from Monroe, Newtown, Shelton, Trumbull, and Westport."

Police K-9's officers Dennis Bradshaw and his dog Liberty and Jeff Loomis and his dog Gunner participated in the search.

McCauley also credited volunteer firefighters from all three town companies — Monroe, Stepney and Stevenson for participating in the search along with firefighters from Long Hill, volunteers from the Red Cross and members of HazMat.

"As soon as the search was over, all of these people got ready for work," McCauley said of their day jobs.