This is the update so many people were praying to hear.

Cole Davison, the 17-year-old Needham High School senior at the center of an urgent two-day search, has been found. Authorities say he is receiving care from medical professionals at a local hospital.

Needham Police shared the welcome news Friday and thanked the regional search-and-rescue teams, K-9 units, drone and marine crews, firefighters, college police, and other first responders who poured their time and resources into bringing the search to a successful end.

The department also thanked the community for every share, tip, message of support, and offer to help. Police said the outpouring over the two-day search had been extraordinary, and officials asked the public to give Cole and his family privacy as they focus on his care and well-being.

The search began after Cole was last seen Wednesday night. By Thursday, the response had expanded around South Street in Needham, with officers, rescue personnel, K-9 teams, drones, boats, and state police aviation resources joining the effort.

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CBS News Boston reported that two emergency alerts went to phones in the area as crews searched residential and wooded terrain. Police said there was no known danger to the public and asked residents not to enter the search zone on their own.

That request mattered because drone teams were using thermal imaging. Every additional heat signature had to be checked, and an influx of volunteers could slow trained teams and pull resources away from the search.

The response was concentrated near 1000 South Street, where the surrounding residential streets and wooded terrain required searchers to work on the ground and from the air. The emergency alerts asked anyone with useful information to contact police while leaving the active search area clear for trained crews.

The operation stretched into a second day and drew help from across the region. Boston.com reported that MBTA Transit Police ultimately located Cole at South Station, bringing the intensive search to the outcome everyone had hoped for.

Needham Police Chief John Schlittler credited the coordinated work of local officers, regional search teams, state agencies, federal partners, and members of the public who sent in tips. That broad response became the backbone of a search that reached well beyond one neighborhood.

For two long days, a family and an entire community waited, searched, shared, and prayed. Now Cole has been found, professionals are caring for him, and his family can be given the privacy authorities have requested.

Thank God for this answer to prayer—and for every first responder and community member who helped bring the search to a hopeful close.

This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.

 

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