Missing toddler found safe — with dog Peanut — in northern Wisconsin

WINTER, Wis. (AP) — The search for a missing toddler in northern Wisconsin has ended with her safe return.

The Sawyer County Sheriff’s Office confirmed 3-year-old Abby Ladwig has been found. In a Facebook post the sheriff’s office said Abby and her dog, Peanut, were found around 7:20 p.m. Monday walking from the woods into a neighboring yard close to her home.

Authorities say the girl suffered minor scratches, insect bites and dehydration during her nearly 24 hours of being lost in the woods. She was treated at a hospital and released.

The girl was last seen about 6:30 pm. Sunday outside her home in Winter. Her mother, Lisa Koch, says her daughter had been playing outside and wandered off. Authorities believe she may have followed the family dog into some woods.

Law enforcement and scores of volunteers searched the family’s 40 acres of land following her disappearance.