Mission Ronan child found safe and sound

RONAN — A story that could have been a tragedy, ended with happily with a collective sigh of relief. A 3-year-old child went missing in the Ronan area Sunday morning around 11:35 a.m., but was found shortly before 2 p.m. in good condition after he had been out walking with a dog.

Andrew Irvine, the missing child, was in excellent condition according to a Lake County Sheriff’s Office press release. He was located around four miles from the residence walking with one of the dogs he had earlier been playing with in the yard. A LCSO deputy found the boy after a tip from local residents that he had been seen in the vicinity of Mollman Pass Trail.

In the release, LCSO thanked the Lake County Search and Rescue, Ronan Fire Department, ALERT Helicopter, Flathead Tribal Police, Montana Highway Patrol, Missoula County SAR and Flathead County SAR Canine Units, CJIN and the Amber Alert System, Flathead Irrigation Project staff, all of the media that put the alert out and the large group of private citizens for their quick response to assist with this search.

“It is only through these great partnerships that we have to ability to coordinate these types of crisis situation,” the release stated.