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BLUE EARTH - A 2-year-old boy was found safe in a corn field Sunday afternoon, after his parents reported him missing.

Faribault County Sheriff's Office received a 911 call at 11:37 a.m. from Jay Johnson, who reported he could not find his son.

Sheriff Mike Gormley said the parents last checked on the boy at midnight. The child wakes up around 8 or 9 a.m., so he had likely been missing for couple hours.

Sheriff's deputies, Blue Earth Ambulance, Police Department and Fire Department, Winnebago Fire Department, Delavan Fire and First Responders, Fairmont K-9 unit and the Martin County Reserve Posse, along with 20 citizen volunteers, helped search for the child. The Minnesota State Patrol helicopter also was paged.

The house and outbuildings were all searched first, and then the focus was centered on the corn fields.

Even with all the assisting agencies, it was the boy's grandfather who found him. Gormley said Greg Johnson found the child a half mile from the home in the corn field around 12:50 p.m.

"Grandpa saw him sitting down on the ground," Gormley said. "There was a cat walking around. His parents indicated he had a strong affection for cats. It's a possibility he followed the cat out into the field."

Rescuers on 4-wheelers saw Greg Johnson carrying the child back to the house.

"The boy was then taken by rescuers back to the residence where he was met by his anxiously awaiting mother," Gormley said.

The child was examined by EMTs and taken to United Hospital District where he was treated and released. Gormley said there was no indication of frost bite. He said it was lucky that the child was OK, since the boy walked off without any shoes on.

These kinds of cases always worry law enforcement and rescue personnel.

"We worry about the combines and everything else out there," Gormley said. "I'd like to thank all the fire and ambulance and first responders and public, everybody who showed up. Everybody did a good job and it ended well. It's a happy day in Faribault County."