National’s Dowell helps rescue 2-year-old child lost in Kentucky woods
2-year-old Beren Cook managed to travel two miles away from his home before first responders found him hours later.
SOMERSET, Ky. – National OnDemand’s Kyle Dowell was attending a Fourth of July celebration at the White Lily Fire Department where he is a volunteer, but the Saturday evening of July 1 soon turned into a search for a missing 2-year-old long before any fireworks lit up the night sky.
The call came around 9 p.m. that 2-year-old Beren Cook had been missing for about an hour, setting off a missing juvenile search that involved around 50 first responders from Pulaski County in a 9-acre area behind the boy’s home.
Cook’s father Jeremy Cook told www.LEX18.com that the young boy was scared by the loud sound of a dirt bike engine. Beren traveled around two miles away from his home before first responders – including Dowell – were able to locate him. Beren and his dog, Bingo were discovered around midnight. The boy was wearing shorts and sandals and had removed the t-shirt he had been wearing.
The young boy told responders he was searching for his favorite dinosaur, Tyrannosaurus Rex, in the woods behind the family’s home.
Dowell, a responder and Hazmat Tech for the Pulaski County Special Response Team, said it was amazing the young boy was able to walk that far in tough conditions and in the dark. Dowell was able to reach Beren and help return him safely to his parents in what was called an emotional reunion by Dowell.
It was an ideal ending to what Dowell, who has been a responder for 22 years, said was a scary scenario for a young child lost in hilly and thick wooded acreage.
“He’s a strong kid,” Dowell said. “He was two miles from home, and there was thicket and caves all around him. I’m not even sure what he did with his t-shirt. He was still walking around when we got to him. He’s a tough kid. It was pitch black outside. He and his dog were looking for a T-Rex in his mind.”
Dowell said Beren responding to his team yelling for him. Once he communicated back, the yells continued until Dowell was able to find him with a flashlight.
“It was around midnight when my team of four heard him respond,” Dowell said. “We just kept communicating until I was able to spot him with my flashlight. I don’t know how he was able to go that far for that long.”
Members of the Haynes Knob Fire Department and responders involved in the search gifted Beren his own T-Rex toy to complete the happy ending to what could have been a far worse outcome.
Dowell first started working with National OnDemand in various capacities 10 years ago when he was hired by National Chief Operating Officer Tim Standafer. He currently works as Director of Operations over the Kentucky RDOF (Rural Digital Opportunity Fund) project in the Danville, Ky. area.
“We got the call around 9 p.m. and I was going initially as an extra set of hands really,” Dowell said. “They hadn’t seen the boy for about an hour when we started looking. I’m glad we were able to find him when we did and get him home to his family safely.”
National OnDemand CEO Douglas Boteler said Dowell’s service to his community was to be commended.
“This was a great ending,” Boteler said. “We love hearing about our people serving in the communities where they live. This is a great example of Kyle stepping up when a neighbor was in need. We are proud of the work he does as a responder outside of his job with National. We’re happy to hear the young boy was found safe. As a father, I’m sure it was a few long hours for the parents while he was missing. We are glad it was a happy ending for all involved.”
