'Heroic' Toddler Saved Brother's Life After Crash Down Ravine

OUACHITA COUNTY, AK — A toddler found wandering alone on a state highway in Arkansas apparently made his way to the roadway after the car he was in crashed down a deep ravine, the Ouachita County Sheriff's Office said.

The sheriff's department was dispatched to Arkansas State Highway 24 around 7:50 a.m. on Monday for a report of an unattended toddler. Authorities took custody of the 3-year-old child who was cared for by sheriff's officials and then transferred to the Department of Human Services.

The child had scratches and cuts throughout his body but appeared to be in good health, the sheriff's office said.

Officials began searching for the child's parents and learned from family members that they hadn't seen the boy's mother and her children in a few days.

When deputies went back to the scene where the toddler was found, they located an accident off the highway in a deep ravine that couldn't be seen from the road. A car was found lying on its side and a woman, identified as 25-year-old Lisa Holliman, was found dead, according to the sheriff's office. Authorities believe the crash may have occurred as far back as Aug. 16.

Authorities said the woman appeared to have been ejected from the car.

A 1-year-old fastened in a car seat was also found the car. The baby was alert and awake and taken to the hospital for treatment. Both children are currently with family members.

"If it had not been for the three year old child being able to escape the car wreckage and finding his was back to the roadway, it could have easily been three deaths," Lt. Nathan Greeley, of the Ouachita County Sheriff's Office, wrote in a press release. "The three year old is HEROIC in my eyes, he saved his brother’s life. God was by their side the entire time and allowed them to survive."

Greeley added that what had occurred was nothing short of a miracle.

Arkansas State Police is investigating the accident.

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