On Tuesday, Pima County announced that a missing boy had been located on the far southeast side of Tucson, after he was reported missing by his mother.
The search operation lead to the recovery of the child in the area of Colossal Cave Road and Interstate 10 and involved a significant amount of resources, according to the Sheriff’s Department. Over the course of the incident, 20 patrol deputies, nine detectives, nine Sheriff’s Auxiliary Volunteers, four volunteers and two dogs with the Southern Arizona Rescue Dogs, Inc. (SARDI), four volunteers with the Southern Arizona Rescue Association (SARA), three Search & Rescue deputies, a Search & Rescue deputy with the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office and two aircraft with the Sheriff’s Air Unit were involved.
After the child was located, he was brought to the Southern Arizona Children’s Advocacy Center, where he was forensically interviewed. The interview revealed information which prompted an investigation by detectives with the Sheriff’s Crimes Against Children Unit. As a result, a search warrant was served on the family’s residence earlier and the stepfather, identified as 53-year-old Wayne Siddle, was arrested on four counts of Child Abuse. He was booked into the Pima County Adult Detention Complex.
The investigation is ongoing.