GILES COUNTY, Va. – A Giles County boy is safe with his family thanks to Project Lifesaver.
The program allows people to be tracked if they wander away from home.
"(A) little bit after 5 (Monday morning), a call came in that a person had wandered off, gotten out of a house," Giles County Sheriff Morgan Millirons said.
About 30 minutes after the search began Monday morning for a missing boy in Narrows, he was found safe behind a building about two blocks away from his house.
Millirons said the sheriff's office's Project Lifesaver tracking equipment worked perfectly.
"One of the operators (of the tracking equipment) was in a police vehicle. They were just moving slow. They had it hooked up to a car antenna. They got a beep, a signal, that showed that the individual was in the area. Then, when the beep got a little stronger, they took it off the vehicle antenna, put it on the handheld and walked right to him," Millirons explained.
The boy's family declined to be interviewed.
"They were thrilled to death. They were really impressed. It paid for itself yesterday," Millirons said.
Millirons hopes this success story encourages people who could benefit from the program to sign up.
Children who are at risk of running away from home and adults with Alzheimer's and dementia can get a bracelet that allows them to be tracked.
Each bracelet costs $99 to set up and $30 a month to use.
If you're interested in the program, contact the Sheriff's Office at 540-921-3842.