Indiana boy missing 12 hours found locked in laundry room

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) – A 3-year-old Evansville boy reported missing by his father was found by officers 12 hours later locked inside a laundry room in the apartment building where he lives.

Evansville police said Montez Cooper appeared uninjured after his ordeal ended Wednesday morning, but he was taken to a hospital as a precaution before being returned to relatives’ care.

The Evansville Courier & Press reports that after Cooper’s father reported him missing Tuesday night, local residents joined about 20 police officers in an extensive overnight search for the boy.

Officers and the apartment’s property manager discovered the boy Wednesday morning inside a locked laundry room as they were searching vacant apartments.

Investigators aren’t sure how the child got into the room, but don’t believe anyone else was involved in his disappearance.