EDITORIAL: Searchers' efforts lead to holiday miracle

Talk about a real-life Christmas miracle.

A 4-year-old Scranton boy was found alive on Christmas Eve after going missing from his home Wednesday night.

Tray McGee’s parents, who helped dozens of volunteers and emergency personnel in the search for their precious child, cried tears of joy after the boy was located, conscious and alert, next to a tree near his home.

Talk about an incredible Christmas present.

Temperatures were below freezing in the area Wednesday night. They improved slightly Christmas Eve morning, but not much, as word spread about the family’s plight.

“I can tell you how dedicated and driven everyone was,” Florence County Sheriff’s Capt. Mike Nunn said Monday, looking back at the rescue. “Everyone was keenly aware of the temperature issue. We were all hopeful to locate him in a good time frame.”

Searchers were successful because of a team effort, led by Sheriff Kenney Boone’s Florence County deputies. More than 50 volunteers from 10 local fire departments assisted. A State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) helicopter flew overhead. A team of bloodhounds was on the scene to assist.

“There’s no explanation for what happened,” Nunn said on the scene Thursday. “All I can say is children are resistant.”

And the searchers were persistent and deserve special praise for their effort.

The terrain was challenging, with dense woods, fields, canals and ditches in the area.

The conditions seemed to make the rescuers more determined. They stayed in contact over the radio. Around 10:05 a.m., word came that Tray was safe.

All around the search headquarters, men and women in law enforcement and emergency uniforms were wiping away tears.

“Some of our folks were very emotional when he was found alive,” Nunn said. “I saw grown men tearing up when the child was found.”

Fire departments from South Lynches, Olanta, Palmetto Rural, Johnsonville, Florence County EMS, Windy Hill, West Florence, Hanna-Salem, Timmonsville and Sardis were involved in to the search, in addition to SLED and the South Carolina State Guard. They deserve a hearty thank you and congratulations for a job well done.

Meanwhile, Tray, who was taken to the hospital after his overnight outdoors, is in good health and good spirits, said Martha Stone, his great-grandmother.

“I know it’s God’s hand that kept him alive and well and sent him back,” Stone told the Lake City News & Post on Monday.

His great-grandmother wrote a letter to the editor thanking the community Monday.

“We thank each one for your prayers, support visits, phone calls, gifts and food,” the family wrote. “We want to give God the most for the Christmas miracle that he made by sending Tray back to us alive, safe and well.”

After the search Christmas Eve, Tray’s great-grandmother said: “I’m just going to hug him and kiss him and let him know how much I love him. We’re so happy that he’s back with his, and we’re going to have a good Christmas.”

With the little boy safe in his family’s arms, it was a good Christmas, a real Christmas miracle.

— Unsigned editorials represent the views of this newspaper: Editorial Board members are Mark Laskowski (regional publisher), James Bennett (regional editor), Sam Bundy (sports editor), Kimberly Ginfrida (news editor), David Johnson (regional circulation director), Charles Tomlinson (Lake City News & Post editor), and Jackie Torok (metro editor).