A 9-year-old boy who apparently ran away Friday was found safe a day after disappearing into a small wooded area in Arlington.
Trey Ossenkop was spotted about 3:30 p.m. Saturday near Arlington Municipal Airport by one of dozens of volunteers who helped search for the boy much of the night.
The boy reportedly ran when the volunteer called him by name.
#BREAKING: police believe they've found Trey Ossenkop at Bowie High school. This is the moment his grandparents heard the news pic.twitter.com/4IeKvVFSM4
— Lynnanne Nguyen (@LynnanneFOX4) November 12, 2016
An hour later, a security officer at nearby Bowie High School spotted the boy while working at a football game at the school, police Lt. Christopher Cook said.
This time, Cook said, they were able to grab the boy before he could run off again.
"Still not sure and confident what was going through his mind," the police spokesman said. "He did not want to go with police."
Cook said police will contact the Department of Family Services to evaluate the boy and determine when he'll return home. He appeared to be unharmed but was likely to go to the hospital as a precaution.
"We just got to figure out what's going on," he added, "why at 9 years old he doesn't want to stay at home."
.@ArlingtonPD explain how missing 9 yr-old Trey Ossenkop was spotted and captured by @ArlingtonISD security at Bowie HS. pic.twitter.com/AoJuEbZfJV
— The Dallas Morning News Photo/Video (@dallasnewsphoto) November 12, 2016
The woods where Trey disappeared were only a few yards from Williams Elementary School, surrounded by homes. The day was warm and bright when he wandered off.
A day later, after a night of search parties and pleas from police, there was still no sign of the boy.
Trey had threatened to run away before, police told WFAA-TV. He was upset Friday about an incident on his school bus and hadn't gone to school that day.
The principal at Williams Elementary, where Trey once attended, spotted him around noon near a bank of trees that skirts the neighborhood off Bardin and Matlock roads. The principal alerted Trey's parents and police.
By sunset, police were worried enough about the boy to ask the public for help.
Dozens of officers combed southeast Arlington overnight, armed with heat-seeking cameras, joined by neighbors with flashlights. Volunteers joined the effort Saturday, too.
Cook, the police spokesman, thanked everyone who pitched in.
"The community has been outstanding. We had so many volunteers," he said. "We're very grateful and appreciative of those efforts."
Breaking news editor Matt Peterson contributed to this report.