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NEW LONDON, Wis. (WBAY) – A 3-year-old boy was found in the Wolf River Monday morning after traveling four blocks from his home, according to New London Police Chief Joshua Wilson.<\/p>\n
The child was reported missing around midnight near the 1000 block of W. Beacon Avenue, near the middle school. He was found hours later in the river upstream near downtown, about a 15-minute walk for an adult.<\/p>\n
The boy was taken to ThedaCare-New London hospital. His condition is unknown.<\/p>\n
Police confirmed the child was found in the Wolf River upstream near downtown. It is not known exactly where he went into the river. It is possible he went into the river closer to home and was moved by the current.<\/p>\n
Witnesses reported a heavy law enforcement presence around 7 a.m.<\/p>\n John Faucher, owner of Johnny\u2019s Little Shop of Bait, said he noticed a heavy police presence with drones in his business\u2019s parking lot when he arrived at work around 6 a.m. and quickly realized something was seriously wrong.<\/p>\n \u201cWe noticed some drones and a higher police presence,\u201d Faucher said. \u201cAnd then there was an Amber Alert shortly after. And of course, then we knew what the police presence was for.\u201d<\/p>\n Faucher said he and his staff joined in the search effort after receiving the alert for a missing child. Officers rushed off after word came in the child had been found.<\/p>\n \u201cWe saw drones. We saw lots of county squads, city squads,\u201d Faucher said. \u201cI think we had a lot of inter agency support from other communities here in town. Being right here, so close to the middle school, there was a lot of that presence right here, right away in the morning. Before it even got light out, there were teams out looking.\u201d<\/p>\n Faucher said recent flooding concerns along the Wolf River have some businesses preparing for more rain, with water levels now above 10 feet. The conditions on the Wolf River are not normal for this time of year.<\/p>\n \u201cIt hit up to 10.26 feet, which is getting pretty close to where we get really nervous,\u201d Faucher said. \u201cWe\u2019re sandbagging here, just because we know it probably could come back up.\u201d<\/p>\n Faucher said even when the river appears calm on the surface, it doesn\u2019t always tell the full story. The current is strong and water levels are higher than normal following recent rain.<\/p>\n \u201cIt doesn\u2019t look dangerous, but this is pretty dangerous current level for even healthy people,\u201d Faucher said. \u201cDefinitely don\u2019t recommend being anywhere around it without life jackets. You can pinch your hands in docks and different things, and things appear slowly when they\u2019re floating down towards you, but they come with pretty good momentum at 10,000 cubic feet per second.\u201d<\/p>\n Faucher said the danger is always present for those living near the river.<\/p>\n \u201cYears ago, when my wife and I got married, she specifically didn\u2019t want to have a place on the river, because there\u2019s always a risk,\u201d he said. \u201cNo matter how vigilant you are, there\u2019s always a risk. It only takes a few seconds for a child that doesn\u2019t have a life jacket to go in the water.\u201d<\/p>\n Questions remain about how long the child was in the water and how he got out in the first place.<\/p>\n Police continue to investigate.<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 WBAY. All rights reserved.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\nSearch efforts<\/h2>\n
River conditions<\/h2>\n
Investigation continues<\/h2>\n