A three-year-old boy who went missing in dense bushland south of Perth has been found safe and well after a 12-hour search. James O’Reilly wandered off from his family home in Yallingup at 7:30am on Saturday, prompting a major search operation involving police, the State Emergency Service, and local residents.
The toddler was discovered by his uncle and grandfather in thick scrub, cold and wet but unharmed. His father, Chris O’Reilly, described the moment he learned his son was safe as the highlight of the worst day of his life. “I could have ran on water,” he said. “The fact that he was talking and smiling. He was definitely cold and afraid and hungry. But he basically walked out of it without a scratch.”
James’s mother, Michelle Buckley, said she had feared the worst as night fell. “Once it was getting close to sunset, I was really starting to panic,” she said. “That’s what got me upset to think he was out there in just his pyjamas. He would have been freezing.”
Western Australian police reported that heavy rain and hail made the search challenging. Inspector Martin Voyez said resources including foot patrols, aircraft, horses, sniffer dogs, and a drone were deployed. The boy was taken for a medical check-up after reporting seeing a snake, though no bite was found.
WA Premier Mark McGowan praised the outcome, calling it “a tragedy averted”. “I’m sure all of us who are parents felt for his family in that very traumatic situation,” he said.
