Dickson Co., Tenn. — The search for missing 5-year-old Joe Clyde Daniels in Dickson County has entered its third day as agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation look into a "credible" sighting that was reported early Wednesday.
As roughly 100 volunteers gathered Thursday morning at Friendship Baptist Church on U.S. 70 to search for the missing boy, Dickson County Sheriff Joe Bledsoe confirmed that TBI has received a tip indicating the child was spotted early Wednesday morning.
Though Bledsoe declined to comment on a specific time, he said TBI learned that the boy was seen walking on Garners Creek Road, roughly 100 yards from his home, by a passerby.
"We do have a man who came through the area early yesterday morning that saw the exact description of the child that’s missing," Bledsoe said.
Authorities initially reported that Joe Clyde Daniels was last seen Tuesday night wearing pajamas. They received a call reporting Joe missing around about 7 a.m., Wednesday, said Rob Fisher, director of Dickson County Emergency Management Agency.
Joe has blond hair and blue eyes, is 4 feet tall and weighs 65 pounds. He is autistic and non-verbal, according to TBI.
Bledsoe said on Thursday that the boy was last seen wearing black pajamas featuring a skeleton print.
Bledsoe was working with search volunteers Wednesday afternoon as increasingly more people arrived to help at the Tennessee City Volunteer Fire Department on Highway 70. At about 5 p.m., officials sent out a text alert countywide stating no more volunteers were needed due to the outpouring of support as well as congestion at the highway’s intersection with Garner Creek Road.
"It's been overwhelming...all the parking spots are filled. And some of the businesses are having their parking spots taken up,” Bledsoe said. "We have people that are here waiting to see if they can volunteer their services."
Bledsoe said the search teams were sent out into a roughly two-mile radius of the residence, working with GPS and documenting the area searched.
The sheriff said citizens and surrounding agencies started to ask about 10 a.m. how they could help.
"You name the counties that are around us, and there are people who have called us and are on there way to help,” Bledsoe said. "It's a huge response. I wouldn't expect anything less from Dickson County..."
In addition to sheriff’s office officials, the Dickson County Emergency Management command center was set up at a residence at the corner of Garners Creek Road and 3rd Street, just a few hundred feet south of Highway 70.
Tennessee Highway Patrol helicopters were scouring the area throughout the morning as well as THP, EMA and other agencies’ search dogs. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation also played a lead role in the search.
The Dickson swiftwater team, consisting of several members of the City of Dickson Fire Department, also were deployed to search in some bodies of water in the area. Firefighting crews also drained ponds in the area during the search.
Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Joe Daniels is asked to call 1-800-TBI-FIND (1-800-824-3463), or contact the Dickson County Sheriff’s Office at 615-446-8041 ext. 0.