2-year-old boy found in hole at Baraboo construction site returned home

The 2-year-old boy found in a concrete hole at a Baraboo construction site Thursday is home safe.

Police in Baraboo are investigating the boy got into the hole. He was found by workers Thursday morning.

Police said they were called to the construction site on Hatchery Road near Commerce Street at 6:35 a.m. after workers found the child crying in hole at the site. The hole, which is 4 feet wide and 4 feet deep, was covered with a barrier tarp.

“It looked like the child had fallen through some landscaping fabric that was in the area,” Baraboo police Capt. Rob Sinden said.

The boy was taken to a hospital as a precautionary measure, but he did not have any obvious injuries, officials said. He was medically examined and released to go home Thursday.

Sauk County Sheriff Chief Deputy Jeff Spencer said the child lives at a residence about 200 yards from the construction site with his parents, a 13-year-old sister and a 4-year-old sister.

Baraboo police said they’re working with the Sauk County Sheriff’s Office because the boy’s home is outside the city. Police said they’re investigating why the boy left the home, how long he was at the construction site and how the parents were unaware that he had left the house.

Officials said a stranger abduction is not suspected in the case, but investigators are conducting interviews and analyzing evidence to determine how and why the child ended up at the construction site.

“At this point in time our investigators are working on just how long the child was there and why we didn’t receive a call of a missing child,” Sinden said.

Sinden said they are talking with the child’s parents to determine where they were when the child was found. The mother told police she put the boy to bed Wednesday night, but that was the last time he was seen before being found Thursday morning.

Officials said the key thing they’re trying to figure out is whether the child fell in the hole or if he was put there by someone.

Officials said there are no criminal charges pending at this time.

The construction superintendent said they have been cleared to resume work on the site, but work was suspended Thursday because of rain.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Baraboo police or Sauk County Crime Stoppers at 888-847-7285.