A six-year-old boy who vanished from a rural stretch of Louisa, Kentucky was found safe Tuesday morning, bringing a close to a three-day search that pulled in hundreds of volunteers, horses, drones and aircraft across the hills and woods of Lawrence County. Roman Heilman had last been seen around 4 p.m. on Sunday on Tadpole Road before he went missing, setting off an urgent hunt that stretched from Sunday into Tuesday.
Kentucky State Police confirmed Roman was found safe, according to FOX 56, which reported he was found Tuesday morning after disappearing from the Tadpole Road area. Officials with Lawrence County Emergency Management told the station Tuesday morning that Roman was alert and being evaluated by emergency personnel. He was reported missing Sunday afternoon after he was last seen around 4 p.m. on Tadpole Road in Louisa, per WYMT.
Kentucky State Police issued an IAN Alert for Roman, a notification system activated when children under 18 with autism or mental illness go missing and may be in danger, the station notes. Reports differ on exactly when that alert went out: FOX 56 reported it was issued around 4 p.m. on November 1, while the Lexington Herald-Leader reported KSP announced the alert at 7 p.m. that same day. Hoodline is presenting both versions because the exact timing could not be independently confirmed.
Hundreds Join the Hunt Through Lawrence County Terrain
The search quickly grew into a sprawling, multi-day operation. Hundreds of volunteers and search teams involving horses, drones and aircraft combed the mountains and woods around the Heilman family's home for three days, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader. By Tuesday morning, more than 70 people, including volunteers, were still out looking for Roman in Lawrence County, the newspaper reported separately, with search teams dispatching drones and a helicopter as the effort intensified.
During the search, crews recovered a diaper, pants and jacket belonging to Roman on Tuesday, according to the newspaper.
State Police Thank Volunteers and Partner Agencies
KSP extends its sincere thanks to all local, state and federal partners, along with the hundreds of volunteers who assisted in the search.
After Roman was found, Kentucky State Police, based in Frankfort, thanked everyone who took part in the search. “KSP extends its sincere thanks to all local, state and federal partners, along with the hundreds of volunteers who assisted in the search,” the agency said. The message reflected the scale of a community response that drew far beyond Lawrence County's own resources, pulling in federal and state assistance alongside the hundreds of local volunteers who spent days searching the rugged terrain.
Beyond confirming that Roman was found safe and being evaluated, authorities have not released further details about the precise circumstances or location of where he was ultimately located. For now, the outcome that mattered most to the community was simple: after three anxious days, a six-year-old boy was back safe.
