Searchers looking for a missing 4-year-old boy in the Kodiak Island village of Ouzinkie on Friday found him sleeping inside a dresser drawer at a relative's house, according to Alaska State Troopers.
The boy's father, 41-year-old Darren Muller, reported the child missing about 6:40 p.m. Friday, troopers said in a written statement Tuesday. Muller said he had not seen the boy for an hour, and family members started searching the area where he was last seen, troopers said.
A village public safety officer coordinated another search party of 15 residents, who still could not find the boy by 7:40 p.m., troopers said. As the Kodiak Island Search and Rescue Team geared up, preparing to ask the U.S. Coast Guard for help, a family member found him.
"Further investigation revealed the child had climbed inside of a dresser drawer, closed the drawer, and fell asleep," the trooper statement says. "The child was returned to his parents without further incident."
Reach Casey Grove at casey.grove@adn.com or 257-4589.
By CASEY GROVE