LITTLE ROCK — More than 100 people were searching for a third day Monday on foot, horse and helicopter for a 4-year old boy who was last seen Saturday during an outing near the South Fork River north of Hardy.
Caleb Linn of Springdale was among a group of 11 children visiting the 900-acre Kia Kima Boy Scout camp.
Caleb is not a scout but “was down there with some family members and just wandered off,” said Jan Cantrell, a dispatcher for the Fulton County sheriff’s office.
Authorities had first put Caleb’s age at 3. On Monday, though, they said he is 4 and that his fifth birthday will be April 3.
“There’s no foul play suspected” at this time, David Cack, 911 coordinator for Fulton County, said Monday.
The group was working on a cleanup project at a bridge site over the South Fork River, which runs into the Spring River, about a half-mile from the main camp area.
Divers were searching the South Fork River on Monday.
The river is “really rolling right now because of all the flooding we’ve had,” Cack said.
More than 100 law-enforcement personnel and volunteers have been focusing their search on the extreme northeastern section of Fulton County near the Sharp County line north of Hardy.
“They’ve got helicopters, dogs, horses, the whole works” searching the wooded area for the child, Cack said.
Caleb was reported missing about 1:20 p.m. Saturday. About 11:30 a.m., he had asked permission to catch up with a group of five other youths who left the bridge to return to the camp.
Arkansas State Police spokesman Bill Sadler said the county sheriff contacted him Sunday asking for help. State troopers and the department’s Aircraft Section are helping in the search.
Caleb is about 3 feet 6 inches tall and weighs 41 pounds. He has short brown hair on the sides with longer hair toward the middle. When he disappeared, he was wearing an orange baseball jersey-type shirt with long, green sleeves, a short-sleeved orange T-shirt, blue jeans and black tennis shoes.
Authorities said anyone who has seen a child matching that description and in the camp area should call the Fulton County sheriff’s office at 870-895-2601.
Arkansas, Pages 7 on 03/27/2012