Missing Ephrata boy found alive by rescue team

Crews searched for hours, found boy by airplane

EPHRATA - Wearing sandals, blue jeans and a Transformers T-shirt, Michael Allison, 6, took off with his family's yellow lab Wednesday afternoon.

Little did he know his estimated half-mile to 1-mile jaunt would bring out four law enforcement agencies to comb the area near his Ephrata home. The search lasted nearly three hours.

His mother Tracy Allison said she noticed Michael was missing about 1 p.m. and first looked for him near their home and at his grandmother's home in the same community.

Law enforcement was notified Michael and family dog Lady were missing about 2 p.m., said Grant County Chief Deputy Courtney Conklin.

Michael's father Troy Allison, a Grant County Jail corporal, said it appeared Lady got out of the gate at the home.

Michael went after her and kept walking, possibly not realizing he was lost, Troy said.

Allison was found about 3:40 p.m. Wednesday with Lady by an aircraft above Burck's Auto Wrecking.

The pair appeared to have walked about a mile, Conklin said.

During the search, a command post was set up at Martin Road at a canal west of state Route 28, he said. About 25 people searched the area near Sunrise Estates off Basin Street in Ephrata for Michael.

There was concern the boy had fallen in the main canal above his parents' home, possibly after the Allison's youngest child, Matthew, 5, said Michael went to the canal, according to Tracy.

The canal was searched by the East Columbia Basin Irrigation District, Conklin said.

Troy was walking up and down the canal's banks too.

"I pretty much kept walking up and down the canal and was looking to see if there was any disturbance to the rocks," he said.

Tracy walked up and down the rows of their manufactured living community, calling for Michael.

A unknown PUD employee also spread the word about Michael as she was reading meters, Tracy said.

But after a few hours, fear began to set in, Troy said.

"I came to the point where I was thinking the worst, so much time had elapsed," he said. "There were no clues or solid leads from anyone who may have seen anything."

An aircraft finally found the boy and searchers told his father his son was in a brush area and sort of cowering down, Troy said.

Michael noticed uniformed people were looking for him and perhaps thought he was in trouble, Troy said.

When Michael was found, "I just grabbed ahold of him and hugged him." Troy said. "I was crying, I think I told him not to do it again."

Troy said his son was calm and seemed to be embarrassed.

Tracy's reaction was similar.

"I was just so relieved," she said. "I wasn't made to believe he'd taken off."

She said she thought her son had either fallen in the canal or had been snatched by someone.

Michael said the family appreciated everyone's help and thanked the responding agencies. The family also wants to learn the PUD meter reader's identity so she can be recognized for her efforts.

Responding agencies were Ephrata Police, Grant County Sheriff's Office, Grant County Search and Rescue and the Ephrata Fire Department, Conklin said.

Jackson's Flying Service out of Moses Lake provided the aircraft that found Michael.