“Great work, KPD!” - Community reacts as Elton Bailey missing 2-year-old Knoxville boy found safe

A 2-year-old boy named Elton Bailey who recently went missing was found safe in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Knoxville Police Department was notified of a missing boy in a gold 2002 Ford Explorer car, which was reportedly stolen on Sunday, December 29.

According to the reports, Elton was traveling with his grandfather in the gold 2002 Ford Explorer when he stopped at their house and went inside briefly leaving the engine running while Elton was still inside the car. When Elton's grandfather came out of the house, he could not find the car anywhere and suspected it was stolen. Later, he filed a complaint with the Knoxville Police Department, and they readily began the search operation.

Community reacts as Elton Bailey was found safe

After Elton Bailey was reported missing, on Sunday at around 6:30 p.m., the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation issued an AMBER Alert, an emergency warning announcement issued when a child disappears or gets abducted. Elton was described as a 2-year-old white boy wearing a gray t-shirt. He has blonde hair and blue eyes, he is 3 feet tall, and weighs around 35 pounds. The Knoxville Police Department Special Crimes Unit, along with Investigations Bureau Officers and the KPD Search and Rescue team, carried out an extensive search operation in order to find Elton. The Tennessee Highway Patrol, KCSO AirWatch, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation also assisted in the search operation. Ultimately, after three hours of searching one KCSO personnel located the car near Pelham Park Road in a construction area and found Elton safe inside the car. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation shared an update on Facebook stating,

"We are happy to pass along that Elton Bailey has been located in Knoxville and is safe! As always, thank you for sharing and helping us get the word out!"

The community heavily appreciated the police department's efforts in finding Elton.

"Great job, glad he was found safe," a user wrote.

"Thank goodness what a huge relief it must be for his family I can only imagine that had to be the toughest and longest 3 hours of their lives," another commented.

"Thankful he was found. Thank you Knoxville Police Department !! And all who helped in this search," someone else wrote.

"Great work, KPD!" another user commented.

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"Thank you KPD for your fast response and finding this baby," someone said.

The Special Crimes Unit is currently investigating whether someone purposefully stole the car or the car was left in gear, which caused it to roll down the street. No further details have been provided yet as the investigation is still underway.

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