FORT RUCKER, Ala.-- While away for military training, a Fort Rucker Soldier received the call that every parent fears - his son was missing. Hours later, a second call from a fellow soldier and friend brought three words of relief - "I've got him."
The Enterprise Police Department (EPD) responded to a report of a missing 9-year-old boy at approximately 4:30 p.m. on Jan. 27, 2026. Home surveillance video showed the child running into a wooded area after being dropped off by a school bus, according to the EPD media release.
Shortly after seeing the notice on social media, Staff Sgt. Nick Cruz of Fort Rucker recognized the last name and made a few calls to the family of the missing child and fellow soldiers that may be available to help head out to join the search party. One of those friends was Capt. Grant Wilson, a Fort Rucker flight school student, who Cruz knew from their kids playing sports together locally.
Cruz and Wilson hit the road before sending out group texts to invite others to join the search. The two Soldiers were on the way to Enterprise together, putting boots to the ground, by 5 p.m.
After a quick call to law enforcement, they were notified that the party included K-9 teams, helicopters, drones and multiple agencies searching the area. “At that time, that’s all we knew,” Cruz said.
“They had dogs out, helicopters, drones… everything,” Wilson said. “One of the sheriff’s county helicopter pilots even ended up being my previous instructor pilot from Fort Rucker, Mr. Bill McCoy.” He noted that it was easy to communicate with the aircraft overhead due to the connections previously built on Fort Rucker.
The pair connected with EPD and integrated into volunteer search teams. They were pairing up volunteers and sending them out to specific locations, clearing wooded areas, underground drainage pipes and other terrain where the child could have taken shelter. “We were basically clearing the woods,” Wilson said. “Sweeping through, checking anything a kid could fit into.”
After hours of searching in below freezing temperatures, EPD authorities shifted teams to check yards, sheds and trash containers. “We looked at each other and agreed to go toward the tree line,” said Cruz. “With our training, we knew we’d be a better asset back in the woods.” They followed a dirt path beyond the tree line.
While sweeping the area, the soldiers remembered an earlier report of a sighting near a barn and decided to recheck the location. “It was just a gut feeling,” Cruz said. “We both said, ‘Let’s double-check these open barns.’” During a military style sweep of an open pole barn around midnight, Cruz moved along the interior wall, checking behind equipment and stored items. Behind a zero-turn lawn mower, he discovered the missing child, curled up and zipped inside his jacket to stay warm.
“At first there was no response, and that was the scary part,” said Cruz. “He was cold, his arms and head tucked inside his jacket. When I shook him, I saw his hand move and that’s when it set in, he was going to be ok.”
Cruz and Wilson immediately called out to say that the child had been found. Law enforcement, emergency medical services and additional personnel arrived within minutes. “I started yelling, whistles were blowing ‘I found him,” Cruz said. “From there, everything happened fast.”
The child was carried to a police vehicle, warmed and medically evaluated by EMS. Cruz contacted the child’s father and mother to notify them their son had been found and was safe. “My first call was to his dad,” Cruz said. “I told him, ‘I’ve got him.’ My second call was to his mom back at the house to let her know he was being warmed up and checked out.”
Once authorities secured the scene, the two service members stepped back to allow responders to complete their procedures. Authorities later transported the boy back to the family’s home, where they were met with emotional reunions. The father, who drove nearly six hours from his military training location, later thanked Cruz personally. “He shook my hand and gave me a hug and said, ‘Thank you, brother,’” Cruz said.
Personnel from Alabama Law Enforcement, Enterprise Rescue, Coffee County Sherriff’s Office, Houston County Sherriff’s Office, Geneva County Sherriff’s Office, Coffee County EMA, and Coffee County CERT participated in the search, supported by aviation and K-9 assets. Despite the large scale of the operation, the child was ultimately located by two service members searching on foot. “Out of everyone out there from the helicopters, drones, the dogs, all of it, it was just me and Grant (Wilson) on the ground that ultimately got eyes and hands to him,” Cruz said. “It felt like it was meant to be.”
The group of Fort Rucker volunteers, including Wilson’s current flight school class and Cruz’s team from 164th TAOG, played an instrumental role alongside EPD and community volunteers, in the ultimate successful outcome and reunion on Jan. 27.
Fort Rucker would like to thank the following Soldiers for their contributions as volunteers in the search, and any others whose names we have not yet been notified of.
Flight School Students W01 Matthew Cahill WO1 Jake Ames WO1 lan Nogle WO1 David Greer WO1 Josh Lindly WO1 Thomas Weems WO1 Jadea Robinson 2LT Anthony Gibson 1LT Aubrey Stuber 1LT Austin White 1LT Brady Weathers 1LT Caitlin Boothe 2LT David Szatmari 1LTEli Marshall 2LT Elijah Wallace 1LT Stephen Cone 1LT Zachary Nemecek CPT Grant Wilson 1LT Nicholas Wentling 1LT Erden Ucok CPT Thomas Hogan 1LT Sean Sullivan 2LT Aubrie Overton 1LT Maggie Duval 1LT Lionel Robert 2LT Caroline Courtney 1LT Trent Weller 1LT Logan Melendez 2LT Evan Fitch 2LT Liam McCarthy WO1 Jadea Robinson
164th TAOG SSG Nicholas Cruz SGT Robert Smith CW4 George Lambert CW3 Phillip McGee CW2 Shane Polidoro