KNOXVILLE (WATE) - Knoxville police found the family of a four-year-old boy who was found wandering on Strawberry Plains Pike early Wednesday morning and returned him to them.
Police are not releasing the boy's name.
Truck driver Robert Jones, of Luttrell, called 911 at 1:48 a.m., saying he found the boy in the 7500 block of Strawberry Plains Pike near the Ryder Trucks yard.
Police say the boy woke up at the home of a family where he was staying, put his shoes on the wrong feet and went out the door. The family was asleep and unaware he had left.
The boy walked more than half a mile before Jones spotted him.
The child was not able to tell officers his name, address, or his parents' names. Police say the boy has a learning disorder and couldn't say the information.
The investigation started with the police department and was turned over to the Knox County Sheriff's Office. After an investigation, the sheriff's office says it found nothing suspicious about the incident. The case was turned over to the Tennessee Department of Children's Services.
The boy is safe at home with his family.
Vickie Johnson lives on Wooddale Church Road, the same road where the boy woke up and left the home where he was staying. "Frantic, frantic, very frantic, it would make anyone frantic," she said.
After hearing news about the missing boy, Johnson says, "I got up and made sure mine was here because you never know. That's why you need to watch your doors and you need to do to make sure your kids are safe."
She understands children can still get out of the house, but tries to keep an eye on her grandchildren. "It's a very, very busy road. I was surprised that little boy didn't get hit because it's a very busy road, especially at night," she said.
Johnson says she used the incident as a chance to educate her grandchildren. "I told them to never wander off, especially if they get up at night. they need to wake an adult up and to not go out that door," she said.
6 News Reporter Stephanie Beecken contributed to this report.
Police released this picture of the boy before they found his family. (source: Knoxville Police Department)
