November 19, 2009
Brandon Haught
Public Information Office

SHERIFF'S OFFICE SEARCHING FOR MISSING
5-YEAR-OLD

The Volusia County Sheriff's Office is looking for a missing 5-year-old DeLeon Springs boy who was last seen in the back yard of his home. Kaleb Carreli is a white male about 45" tall and weighing 52 pounds. He has blue eyes, blond hair and a star-shaped scar over his left eyebrow. He was wearing a green shirt, black cargo shorts and no shoes. He was last seen at about 5:15 p.m. at 2545 Place Pond Road, DeLeon Springs. The Sheriff's Office has deputies, K-9 units and a helicopter out searching for the boy who might have wandered off into the nearby woods.

Please call 386-736-5999 if you have information about Kaleb's whereabouts or call 911 if there is an emergency.

Update: 12:56 a.m. - 11/20/09

After a more than six-hour search, Kaleb Carreli of DeLeon Springs was located safe-n-sound in a heavily-wooded area of DeLeon Springs. The 5-year-old boy was spotted by deputies and a group of volunteer searchers who had been combing the area after Kaleb ran off into the woods while chasing behind his dog. Kaleb’s family reported him missing to the Sheriff’s Office at 5:35 p.m.

Searchers first spotted Kaleb from a distance at about 11:52 p.m. as he was calling out for help. They made their way through the thick underbrush and reached the boy about 7 minutes later. Deputies estimate that he was located between three-quarters of a mile and a mile away from his home. The boy was then brought to the command post and checked out by paramedics with EVAC ambulance. While he wasn’t injured, an ambulance transported Kaleb to Florida Hospital DeLand as a precaution.