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A MASSIVE search is underway for a missing toddler who disappeared from his front yard on Saturday.
Two-year-old Dane Paulsen’s family is frantic to find the boy, launching a desperate investigation consisting of hundreds of volunteers sweeping over 300 miles of rural Oregon.
Paulsen was reported missing at around 4:25 pm on Saturday.
He was last seen playing in the yard of his family’s home in Siletz, Oregon, which is located on the Central Oregon Coast Range.
The toddler’s family lives less than 100 feet from the Siletz River.
He was playing “out of sight of his parents,” the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on Sunday.
Shortly after the search started, a driver was called in for questioning after a mysterious gold station wagon was seen driving around the neighborhood about 30 minutes before Paulsen disappeared.
However, cops confirmed the car and the driver were investigated and cleared.
“There is no evidence at this time to suggest that any criminal actions were involved in the incident,” LCSO said at a media briefing on Sunday.
Multiple agencies have joined in on the search, including the FBI and community volunteers.
Cops are using divers, K-9 units, and drones to search for the little boy.
Search teams covered 682 acres and 311 miles by Monday afternoon, LCO said.
Paulsen is described as “friendly, fearless and comfortable around strangers and water,” cops said.
However, officials noted the toddler can’t swim.
When he was last seen, he was wearing a gray fuzzy hoodie with ears, black pants, and blue and white shoes.
He has brown hair and green eyes.
Timeline of Dane Paulsen’s disappearance
Two-year-old Dane Paulsen has been missing from his family’s home in Selitz, Oregon, since Saturday.
Below is a timeline of his disappearance:
March 1, 4 pm – A gold station wagon is seen driving near milepost 21 on the Oregon state highway, where the Paulsens live
March 1, 4:25 pm – Dane is last seen playing in his front yard
March 2, sunrise – Volunteer teams begin searching for Dane
March 2, 6 pm – Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office confirm the driver of the golden station wagon is no longer relevant to the investigation
March 3 – Cops say 311 miles and 682 acres have been searched for Dane
Source: LCSO
The toddler’s parents own the Chowder Bowl, a seafood restaurant in Depoe Bay, Oregon.
His mom noted on her Facebook that Paulsen is big for his age, looking three or four years old instead of two.
The sheriff’s office said Paulsen’s disappearance doesn’t meet the criteria for the Amber Alert system.
“Amber alerts require specific information, including license plates, and at the time we did not have a direct link from the vehicle to the child,” a sheriff’s spokesperson told NBC affiliate KGW about the mystery gold car.
LCSO told The U.S. Sun there is no new information available in the search.
Community volunteers are being asked to avoid the main area of the search near the Paulsens’ home as search and rescue teams take the lead there.
Cops established a command post for search efforts at a boat launch across the river from the toddler’s home.
A GoFundMe set up to support the Paulsens during the search has raised over $10,000 as of Tuesday morning.
