Her Son Went Missing. 4 Hours Later, He Was Found ... Hiding

Michelle Dinning called police Tuesday morning when she couldn't find her 9-year-old son, Josh, last seen in his bedroom the night before. For nearly four hours, a search party roamed the area looking for the UK boy; the police force put dozens of officers, search dogs, and even a helicopter to the task, the Times reports. And then they decided to check the family home a second time ... and there was Josh, under his bed. Or, more specifically, in his bed; he had crawled through a gap in the bed frame, the Northern Echo reports. Why? He didn't want to go to school. Officers found him after deciding to actually lift up all the beds.

"I just couldn't bring myself to be angry with him, the relief that he was alive and well was just too much," says his mom. Josh was discovered just before a press conference on his disappearance was set to take place. The search is estimated to have cost the police force thousands of dollars, but the official statement on the matter makes no mention of that. "We can confirm that missing Josh Dinning was found at around 12:40pm hiding in a hidden drawer compartment under his bed," the statement says, adding that the police force will be reviewing its search procedures and looking into why he wasn't found in the initial search of the home. The Chronicle has a picture of the compartment where Josh hid. (More strange stuff stories.)