Mute boy, six, vanishes from garden where parents left him playing for minutes
A search is underway for a mute six-year-old boy who vanished when his parents were not looking in the space of three minutes.
Arian Arnold, who is autistic and non-verbal, went missing from his garden in Elm, Lower Saxony, Germany, on Monday evening.
An army Tornado jet, sniffer dogs, drones, a sonar boat and several divers have been launched to search for him.
His parents said he would usually come back into the house on his own accord and described the seriousness of the situation.
‘Arian can hardly articulate himself. We are looking for a boy who would not contact us even when we are near him. It’s possible he’ll still be out next night. The situation is dramatic,’ the police chief told German tabloid Bild.
Around 400 people have been searching for the young boy since his disappearance.
They have searched woods, hedges, fields, swamps and barns but so far to no avail.
The current cold weather in Lower Saxony means hope is dwindling that the boy will be found alive.
Temperatures dropped to below freezing on the night Arian went missing and more cold weather is due to hit.
Police spokesperson Heiner van der Werp said: ‘The search measures have not yet been completed, we may have to search the areas we have already searched several times.
‘We will continue to search piece by piece next night. The helpers are turning over every stone to find Arian.’
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