3-Year-Old Ryker Webb Survived Alone in the Wild. Inside the Toddler’s Life

When Ryker Webb went missing in June 2022 in northwest Montana, it raised a lot of questions.

The 3-year-old was playing with his dog in his yard when he disappeared, seemingly walking into the forest and not coming back. A few hours later, the local sheriff was called, and Webb was reported missing.

Through severe storms and the threat of bears and mountain lions, dogs, National Guard helicopters, drones and ground volunteers were used to scour the wilderness for two days — until the redheaded toddler was spotted in a shed two miles away from his home.

A photo of Webb receiving medical care after his shocking recovery went viral, showing the little boy visibly shaken. Many wondered how Webb survived and what stories he had to tell about his time in the woods.

Here, find out what happened to Ryker Webb and where he is now.

What happened to Ryker Webb?

In the afternoon of June 3, 2022, Webb, then 3, was playing in his Troy, Mont., backyard with his family dog and his father.

“He and his dad were in the yard, the father went inside the home for a moment and when he went back outside, the child was gone,” Sheriff Short told KREM. “We have a very distraught family and a lot of concern over him.”

At about 5 p.m., a “concerned neighbor” called the police to report Webb missing, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s office wrote in a statement, noting that Webb had been missing for about two hours when they first responded to the report.

Short told Today that there were severe thunderstorms that evening, which hampered search efforts, and that the area was known for having bears and mountain lions. The following day, drones, National Guard helicopters, dogs and human search teams, as well as a boat on a nearby lake, set out in an effort to find Webb.

How was Ryker Webb found?

On Sunday, June 5, a couple that lived about two miles from Webb’s home heard a young boy’s voice from a log cabin on their property. They found Webb hiding in a lawn mower bag.

“They heard a little boy’s voice from the shed out back where they keep a generator,” Short told Today. “So they went to the shed and there he was.”

One member of the couple went to the search party’s checkpoint with a photo of Webb, Short recalled to NBC Montana, and said that the snapshot had been taken just moments earlier.

According to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department, Webb “was in good spirits and apparently healthy, although hungry, thirsty and cold.” EMTs took Webb to a local hospital for evaluation.

What happened when Ryker Webb was missing?

It is unknown what Webb experienced when he was missing but his family and local authorities have their guesses.

“I really think that he just kept wandering,” Short told NBC Montana. “The trail system behind their house, I think all of the kids [in the area] are fairly familiar with … he just, rather than turning around and coming back to the house, he just kept continuing down the path.”

Short added that Webb’s mother told him he enjoyed chasing butterflies and looking at bugs, and search teams noticed that several rocks on the trail had been turned over, likely when Webb was searching for bugs underneath them during his walk.

He explained, “I think he just got distracted and just continued [walking], and then when the weather started to turn, he took shelter in the shed.”

Did Ryker Webb change clothes when he was missing?

Though some initially believed Webb changed clothes while he was missing, he likely did not actually do so.

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement, “An initial clothing description provided to searchers proved to be inaccurate. It was unknown what clothing or footwear the child was wearing.”

Webb was found wearing blue long-sleeved footed pajamas with a yellow truck print, and the feet on the pajamas were visibly worn.

What did Ryker Webb say when he was found?

It’s not known what Webb said when he was found, but Short told Today that the toddler was “very, very scared,” and his “eyes lit up” when he learned he’d be reunited with his parents. The Sheriff added, “He had a wide-eyed scared look until he got back to his mom and dad.”

Webb also told Short that he’d gone for a walk when he went missing and got tired. “Ryker appeared to be very, very frightened, and he didn’t know the couple that found him, he didn’t know myself or my patrol captain who were there next,” Short told NBC Montana. “So I’m sure being in that shed for two days and being around strangers, he was pretty shook up. He was in shock.”

Short said that Webb’s family was “very emotional, very shook up, of course.” The Sheriff said Webb’s siblings and grandparents were also present at the time, and that they were all relieved upon his return.

Where is Ryker Webb now?

Webb and his family have remained private since he returned home. Short said that Webb was treated overnight for dehydration at the hospital, then released and was back to playing with his siblings soon after.

In December 2023, content creator Harinder Singh claimed to have spoken to Webb’s older brother, Kayden, who allegedly said that Ryker was healthy and safe, but that he’d been traumatized and shell-shocked during the immediate aftermath of the incident.