Missing Monroe boys found safe after hiding from searchers

Published 11:29 pm Thursday, July 16, 2009

MONROE — The three Monroe boys heard the blades of a search helicopter overhead.

They heard their names called as their parents tried to find them.

As the boys, ages 8 to 11, hid in deep grass Wednesday night, they worried their late evening disappearance would land them in a heap of trouble.

Meanwhile, parents, police and fire officials launched a major search effort to find the trio.

About 12 hours after the boys were last seen, a reporter from KING-TV in Seattle spotted them Thursday morning sitting on a curb near their homes, Monroe police spokeswoman Debbie Willis said.

“This was the best ending we could have hoped for, that the children were found safe,” Willis said.

The boys, two brothers and a friend, were seen Wednesday night playing outside in their neighborhood, a cul de sac north of the Monroe fairgrounds, she said.

Around 9:45 p.m., their parents started to get worried and began looking. By 10:30 p.m., police were called.

Officers started to comb the area. A Snohomish County sheriff’s helicopter launched and used heat-seeking cameras. Search and rescue volunteers were summoned. A specially trained search dog was put on the trail.

Crews looked in vacant homes and abandoned cars, Willis said.

By morning, police had released photos of the boys: Dylan Lewis, 11; Elijah Gertschitz, 10; and Ethyan Gertschitz, 8.

Officers went door-to-door asking neighbors to check out buildings and keep watch for the children.

Then, as photos of the boys splashed across the news, a reporter assigned to cover the story for the Seattle television station recognized them sitting down on the side of the street, Willis said.

The boys told detectives they had slipped away into grass three feet high in an easement across from their homes. Once they realized a search was under way, “They were scared they would get in trouble,” Willis said.

As the sun rose, the boys hid behind a rockery in the area. Spotted there, the boys went up to wait on the street.

Detectives interviewed the boys to find out what happened, Willis said.

“We’re going to get those answers and we’re confident that these families are going to address the situation appropriately,” she said.

Willis said she’s certain the boys will not be planning any sleep outs soon.

“I think they’re in trouble,” Willis said.

Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437, jholtz@heraldnet.com