MONGAUP VALLEY – The missing three-year-old boy who walked away from a summer camp on Saturday has been found safe and sound Sunday, Sullivan County Sheriff Michael Schiff said.

The boy, Daniel Niktalova, was found about a mile away hiding under a rock ledge with just a bump on his head.

The child was brought back to the command post where he was driven by ambulance to Catskill Regional Medical Center for observation.

Liberty fireman Harry Rampe and his search party found the boy in the deep woods shortly after 11 a.m.

Earlier story:

Emergency services personnel are scouring the area near the Swinging Bridge Campground at 258 Lake Shore Drive in Mongaup Valley are a three-year-old boy was reported mission on Saturday.

The child, Daniel Niktalova, who will turn four on July 8, was last seen in front of lot D3 at the campground at around 11 a.m. After a search by campground guests, the Sullivan County 911 Center was contacted at approximately 1:20 p.m.

Sheriff’s deputies who responded immediately called in the Monticello Fire Department, New York State Police, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Police and State Forest Rangers to help in the search. The Sullivan County Wild Land Search and Rescue Team also responded. Patrol boats from the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office, DEC police, and Alliance Energy, the owners of the Swinging Bridge Reservoir, responded to the scene and patrolled the shore line adjacent to the campground.

The New York State Police Aviation Unit and local resident Mike Croissant responded with their helicopters to aid in the search.

The terrain around the campground is bordered by the Swinging Bridge Reservoir on one side and thick woods on the other. Searchers had covered the entire camp ground and a substantial area surrounding it by early evening. The search was scaled back as night fell, but Sheriff’s Detectives and State Police Investigators continued to question guests of the campground. State Police Aviation plans to fly a helicopter mission Saturday night using FLIR (Forward Looking Infrared). The full scale search is resuming at 8 a.m. Sunday.

Daniel Niktalov is one of three children who belong to Eduard Katanov and Svetlana Niktalov. The Family resides in the Forest Hills section of Queens, NY.