Search to resume for missing 3-year-old on Allegheny River in Armstrong County

Dozens of police, fire, ambulance, river rescue and special operations task force units from around the region spent several hours Friday searching for a 3-year-old boy.

The child was reported missing near a sandbar known for ATV recreational riding near the Allegheny River just off Kelly Station Road in Armstrong County.

The search is expected to resume Saturday morning, according to an Armstrong County 911 dispatcher.

Rescue workers late Friday night temporarily halted an hourslong search for the boy who had been camping with his father near a sandbar along the river in Armstrong County when he went missing, according to initial reports from rescue workers to Trib news partner WPXI-TV.

The search had been going for nearly five hours when some of the last units pulled away from the area, including river rescue and dive teams from as far south as Murrysville Medic One.

Bloodhound dogs also were used by officials in hopes of tracking the child.

State police, which took over as lead investigative agency, would not provide any information.

Rescue workers told Trib news partner WPXI-TV that initial reports indicated the child and his father had been camping near a sandbar along the river.

Police were notified about the missing child shortly after 3:20 p.m., an Armstrong County 911 shift commander said.

As of 6 p.m., police from multiple units and municipalities still were searching for the child in Gilpin and headed toward Leechburg, the shift commander said.

Additional rescue workers were searching for the child via boats, rafts and kayaks.

Bethel Township police, who were leading the search, could not be reached.