OUACHITA COUNTY, Ark. — The Ouachita County Sheriff’s Office said the mother of a young child found wandering on Highway 24 in Camden died in a wreck, but authorities were able to rescue another child located in her wrecked vehicle.
“Today is anything but short of a miracle. The three-year-old and one-year-old being able to survive in the elements you know southern Arkansas with how hot it is — the humidity — we’ve had precipitation since then and like I said it’s nothing short of a miracle — God’s blessing that these children were able to survive this accident,” said Detective Nathan Greeley of the Ouachita County Sheriff’s Office.
Officials say it’s believed the crash occurred on Friday or Saturday.
The three-year-old boy was found walking near Harvey’s Grocery on Monday morning. The sheriff’s department posted his photo on social media in an attempt to identify the child and his parents. Authorities located a name of the child’s mother from family members, who said she had not been seen in days.
The sheriff’s department went back to the scene where the child was found and located an accident off the highway in a deep ravine, which was not visible from the roadway.
Authorities say it appears the mother, the three-year-old and a one-year-old were involved in a wreck and the mother was ejected from the vehicle.
Law enforcement confirmed the victim is 25-year-old Lisa Holliman of Camden.
The one-year-old was found still alive and fastened in a car seat. The sheriff’s department said deputies were able to remove the child, who was awake and alert when transported to the Ouachita County Medical Center for treatment.
Officials noted the one-year-old was taken to Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock for non-life threatening conditions including possible dehydration.
Authorities say the three-year-old had walked 300 yards from the wreck site before he was found.
State Police are also involved in the investigation.
