Timothy Wallace
A nine-year-old boy autistic boy who was reported missing from a Sale Creek home on Sunday night has been found dead near railroad tracks.
Timothy Wallace was reported missing around 10 p.m., and both the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office and the Sale Creek Fire Department had been actively searching for him.
Sheriff Jim Hammond said the boy was hit by a train shortly after wandering from the house where he and his family were visiting.
He said the body was spotted by a later train.
Sheriff Hammond said the boy was from the Dunlap area and was visiting his aunt.
He was struck by a northbound Norfolk Southern train.
He was found deceased next to the train track near Coulterville Road around 11 p.m.
Officials said, "The investigators found during the investigation the operators of the train were unaware that the train had struck the child. Weather conditions at the time of this incident made the search extremely difficult with heavy rain and fog along with the rural, unlit area."
He was wearing a red shirt and shorts with no shoes. Searchers had been looking for a boy with brown shoulder-length hair and who was 4’10” and 70 pounds.
The boy, who authorities said was non-verbal, was found less than a mile from the residence.