3-Year-Old Ryker Webb Survived the Wilderness on His Own, but Where Is He Now?

The Gist:

• 3-year-old Ryker Webb went missing in June 2022 near Troy, Mont.
• Webb was found two days later taking shelter in a shed, clearly traumatized but in "good spirits."
• He has since been able to start talking about what happened.

A missing child is always a scary story, but there’s something particularly eerie about the story of Ryker Webb. His story became a true crime phenomenon after he went missing in June 2022 for two days. At just 3 years old, he disappeared into the wilderness. Luckily, Webb was found a long two days later.

However, the look on Webb’s face after he was found has been the talk of the internet, especially since the story recirculated on TikTok. A video of Webb’s brother or relative asking him about what happened has gone viral, so where is Ryker Webb now?

On June 3, 2022, Webb went missing after he was playing with his family dog. The boy and the dog were playing out in the front of the family’s home in Troy, Mont. However, after the father went inside for a moment, Webb supposedly walked off and into the forest. After two hours, Webb’s parents called the police and search party was set up.

Many people in the town of Troy began looking for Webb with little luck. Weather conditions were difficult with scattered thunderstorms and temperatures as low as the 40s. According to ABC, “Dozens of people helped in the search around the Bull Lake area south of Troy. Searchers used ATVs, drones, dog teams, and a boat to look for Webb during the search, according to authorities.”

After one night in which he wasn't found, the Montana Air National Guard helicopters and Flathead County drones were added to aid the search. But in the end, none of that mattered, because Webb was found by a couple who checked on their small shed in the back of their cabin after hearing some noises.

Webb was keeping shelter in the shed where the family keeps their generator, which is how he survived the harsh weather conditions, as well as the abundance of wild animals like mountain lions and bears.

“They heard a little boy’s voice from the shed out back where they keep a generator," Lincoln County Sheriff Darren Short said to Today. “So they went to the shed and there he was … He was very, very scared.” Of course he was! He was a 3-year-old alone in the cold wilderness of Montana!

At the time, Short explained, “We’re still looking into why he disappeared, and why he wasn’t being watched closely.” Short also said that Webb was very excited to be reunited with his parents.

It seems like an accident gone wrong, but that hasn’t stopped the internet from coming up with their own conspiracy theories.

In a video shared on TikTok, we can hear someone asking Webb about what happened when he “got lost.” While distracted by something off the screen, Webb shares that there was “a house” and a person, although it’s unclear as to who she’s referring to.

Some have suggested that Webb was kidnapped, which is how he made it miles away from his original destination. Others enjoy the theory that skin-walkers were involved. Skin-walkers are known in Navajo culture as harmful witches who can disguise themselves as or possess animals.

Whether there was evil magic or bad people, or just a boy lost in the woods, we’re glad that Webb is now happy and healthy.