A 22 month-old boy was found alive last Wednesday three days after he went missing from his home in rural Magoffin County, Kentucky.

Little Kenneth Howard was found in a wooded area less than 2,000 feet from his home by firefighters who had swept the area looking for him. Aside from being dehydrated and having a few scrapes, Kenneth was otherwise found to be completely healthy.

“That child is a true Kentucky mountain boy,” one local official said.

Robert Prater, director of Magoffin County Emergency Management and a friend of the Howard family, explained that Kenneth slipped out the backdoor on Sunday night while his father was sitting out on the porch. A massive search effort was launched in the days afterwards to find the boy, but officials had started to lose hope before he was found on Wednesday.

“I was froze to death and wet and every time I would think I was cold, I would think about that baby and then I’d about start crying,” said Brent Handshoe, South Magoffin Fire Department assistant chief. “I don’t know. I just didn’t want to give up on him.”

Kenneth was found on Wednesday after an expert tracker heard his calls for help. He was then airlifted to a hospital to be treated for dehydration, but he was released the very next day.

Kenneth’s father Elden Howard said that he went into shock when he heard his son had been found.

“Disbelief, for a while,” Elden said. “‘Til they told me they were sure it was him, and stuff, and I’d seen a picture. I said, ‘that’s my boy.’ Tickled me to death. Best thing that ever happened to me in my life.”

Find out more about this incredible story in the video below.