On a day when torrential rains hit much of the Hudson Valley, a 12-year-old boy went missing.
The story of Lorenzo Boykin could have been a tragedy. He was reported missing at about 1:40 p.m. in the area of Sands Avenue in Milton on that rainy Sunday. The rains and floodwaters would claim other lives in the region on this day, but not Lorenzo. He was located a approximately seven hours later and returned home safely, thanks to many helping hands from first responders, caring neighbors and other volunteers. This story has a happy ending.
Marlborough Police Chief Gerald Cocozza recounted the rescue efforts at a recent town board meeting.
“I think it went very well,” the chief said. “I don’t like to give a lot of accolades to the police officers that were involved because that’s what they get paid to do. However, I expect our guys to go above and beyond, and I believe they have and they do on a regular basis.”
But it wasn’t just the police who responded. The Ulster County Sheriff’s Department sent three dogs who may have been hampered by the heavy rains washing away any trace of scent that the boy might have left.
The Milton Fire Department set up a command center and assisted in the search. Everett Erichsen, director of Ulster County’s Emergency Services, personally responded and produced maps of the area. He made arrangements for special dogs to come down from Albany.
“They’re special because they don’t work on scent,” Cocozza said. “Don’t ask me how they work. He called it stressors. So it’s a special way that they can try and find people with autism and other conditions.”
One of the dog handlers was attacked by a swarm of hornets, suffering multiple bee stings.
The public provided videos from their doorbell cameras, which helped but did not produce immediate results.
Things were getting hairy. It was near 8 p.m., getting dark and still raining heavily.
“The last time he was seen was on the riverfront and searching those embankments and the hills down there at night is near impossible,” Cocozza said. “We were making plans to abandon the search until the morning time just when we found him. I’m very glad that we found him because I was concerned about leaving a 12 -year -old in the woods overnight.”
The boy was hiding in the storeroom of a nearby Dollar General Store.
In all, the chief estimated that 40-45 law enforcement officers, including State Police and sheriff’s deputies participated in the search, along with other agencies like the DEC involved in the search.
Fortunately, everything came together at just the right time.
The chief summed it up as well as anyone could.
“We couldn’t do it without the departments that we have. I think this town is super special,” he said. “Not only do we have great volunteer firemen, but we’re all family together.”