Boy Missing For 9 Days Found Hiding Under His Home (I Would Of Whipped His Ass!)

Nine days after he was reported missing as a probable runaway, searchers located 12-year-old Josh Miller of Pike County’s Oatsville community Saturday afternoon.

The boy was discovered hiding underneath his family’s home across the road from Knight’s Chapel Church which searchers had often used as a staging area.

Pike County Sheriff Jeremy Britton said Josh appeared overall to be in good condition, but he was taken to Jasper Memorial Hospital for a precautionary medical evaluation.

“He was dirty and had not had a bath for nine days,” the sheriff said, “He had some insect bites and ticks on him, but I think overall for nine days, he looked pretty good.”

“He actually had a smile on his face,” said Chris Richardson, spokesman for the Indiana Department of Homeland Security’s District 10.

Richardson said authorities were alerted by Josh’s parents, Dan and Sabrina Miller, about 3 p.m. EDT that they had heard noises under their house. They suspected it might be Josh.

Members of the homeland security search team and the Ohio Valley Search and Rescue squad went to the house and persuaded the boy to come out.

Britton said the Miller’s modular house sits on a concrete block foundation, and Josh had squeezed through a crawl space vent.

Britton said he had spoken with the boy only briefly before he was taken to hospital and did not have an explanation for his running away from home and eluding searchers.

The sheriff said probably he had been in and out of the crawl space hiding area.

Britton said he felt the two sightings reported of him during the more than a week searchers were looking for him were “definitely confirmed and credible.”

Josh had obtained food from the family home during the nine days when no one was home, the sheriff said.

He had apparently changed some clothing during the period. When found he was wearing long pants and a T-shirt. He had been reported to have been wearing blue denim shorts when he disappeared.

Britton said Josh was barefoot when he was found, and said he did not know what happened to his shoes.

The sheriff said he expected to continue questioning Josh and his parents regarding the circumstances of his disappearance said he did not at present foresee any charges being filed.

Britton said he is working with the state’s Child Protective Services “to do what is best for the child.”

Since he was reported missing on June 23, search parties, consisting mainly of volunteers, had combed fields and woods in the rural Pike County area in an effort to find the child.

On Thursday night, local searchers were joined by an FBI helicopter equipped with thermal imaging equipment.