Hundreds frantically search for 2-year-old boy who vanished while playing in his front yard

Dane Paulsen was reported missing around 4:25pm on Saturday

Dane Paulsen, a missing 2-year-old boy, was last seen playing in the front yard of his parents' home on Saturday, March 1, 2025 (Lincoln County Sheriff's Office)

Police in Oregon are searching for a 2-year-old boy who went missing from his home's front yard, and hundreds of volunteers have turned out to join the effort, according to law enforcement.

Dane Paulsen was reported missing around 4:25pm on Saturday, according to the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office.

On Saturday, deputies and representatives from local police and fire stations searched the property for the boy and the area surrounding his home in Siletz, Oregon, according to CBS News.

Siletz is a town of less than 1,300 approximately 80 miles west of Salem.

Search and rescue teams continued the search on Sunday near the Siletz river just north of the town. Tracking dogs, drones, boats and divers were called out to the area to assist in the search. During Sunday's search the volunteers were asked to stay outside of the main search area.

Approximately 300 have taken part in the search, according to the sheriff's office. On Sunday, more than 100 volunteer searchers joined in the effort to find Dane.

An initial report suggested that a male driver who was unknown to Dane's parents was spotted near their home around the time the boy was last seen, but police have since located that individual and determined they were "no longer a point of interest" in their ongoing investigation.

An Amber Alert for Dane has not been issued at this time. According to the sheriff's office, the boy's disappearance "does not meet the criteria to use the Amber Alert system," and added that "there is no evidence at this time to suggest criminal actions are involved in this incident."

The Amber Alert system is typically put into use in cases of child abduction.

"Dane is friendly and fearless, and is comfortable around strangers and water, but cannot swim. Dane is known to love water and vehicles," the sheriff's office said in a statement.

The search continued on Monday, with air and water units deployed to help try to locate the missing child.

Sheriff's deputies are also following up on credible tips provided by the public, and have asked that anyone with any information concerning the boy's whereabouts to contact them.

Thus far, 88 search and rescue members have been deployed to help find Dane, as well as 40 law enforcement investigators, six human tracking dogs, four watercraft and divers, and four drones, according to KGW8.

The FBI is reportedly also assisting with the search.