Crying Baby Buried Under Debris Found Alive In Wet, Soiled Onesie

LOLO HOT SPRINGS, MT — Authorities in Missoula County are calling it a "miracle." A 5-month-old baby wearing a soaked and soiled onesie is alive today after being buried for at least 9 hours under a pile of sticks and debris. Now, a man is facing charges including felony child endangerment.

It all started around 8 p.m. Saturday when authorities learned a man was behaving oddly near Lolo Hot Springs, about 25 miles southwest of Missoula. The man, identified by the Missoula County Sheriff's Office as 32-year-old Francis Carlton Crowley, was threatening people, saying he had a gun and started digging in his pockets. But by the time deputies arrived, he had left the area. But a baby left in his care had been missing for several hours.

Authorities later apprehended Crowley when he returned to the area.

"When trying to question Crowley, he appeared to be under the influence of drugs and was not making sense to officers," the sheriff's office said in a release.

His statements indicated the missing child may have been buried "somewhere in the mountains." Rescue crews were sent to help in the ground search for the child due to the urgency of the situation. After scouring the area for more than six hours on foot, one deputy managed to hear a faint cry that sounded like a baby. He followed it and eventually found the child face down underneath sticks and debris around 2:30 a.m. Sunday.

The baby was alone in the cold woods — it was just 46 degrees — for at least 9 hours. Crews rushed the infant to a hospital where the child was said to be in good health.

Crowley was jailed at the Missoula County Detention Facility on $50,000 bond. More charges will follow, authorities said.

"For all of us at the sheriffs office, this is what we call a miracle," the office said. "For the officers who were present for this event, its especially hard knowing what this small baby endured in the last 24 hours. Sheriff McDermott would like to thank those who assisted in the search and those who called 911, helping first responders bring this baby to safety."

Photo credit: Missoula County Sheriff's Office