THEY CAME TOGETHER BECAUSE A 12 YEAR OLD NEEDED HELP. ALL THAT MATTERS IS THIS CHILD WAS FOUND SAFE, AND. AND HE’S HE’S GOING TO BE HE’S GOING TO HAVE A GREAT LIFE MOVING FORWARD. RJ IS SAFE. HE IS SOUND. AND WE STAND BEHIND OUR PROMISE. HE WILL NOT GO BACK TO THAT PROPERTY. BREAKING NEWS OKLAHOMA! THE SEARCH IS OVER. RYAN RJ DAVIS WAS FOUND EARLIER TODAY OVER IN CADDO COUNTY NEAR CEMENT. THE LITTLE BOY WAS MISSING FOR EIGHT FULL DAYS NOW. OSBI JUST WRAPPED UP A NEWS CONFERENCE TELLING US WHAT THEY’VE LEARNED ABOUT THE SITUATION. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. I’M CHANTELLE NAVARRO. FINDING A 12 YEAR OLD RJ WAS ON THE MINDS OF LOTS OF OKLAHOMANS THIS PAST WEEK. DOZENS OF PEOPLE VOLUNTEERING THEIR TIME AND EFFORTS TO HELP THEM IN THE SEARCH THEMSELVES. AND NOW PEOPLE WANT ANSWERS ON HOW HE WAS FOUND. KOCO OLIVIA HICKEY SPOKE WITH INVESTIGATORS TODAY. AT THAT NEWS CONFERENCE. OLIVIA, WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED? I’M SORRY. WE’RE THE FIRST WORDS THAT 12 YEAR OLD RJ DAVIS SAID TO THE TWO MEN VOLUNTEERS OUT OF TEXAS WHO FOUND HIM IN CADDO COUNTY EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON. BOTH OF THEM BEING FATHERS THEMSELVES. THEY SAID FINDING HIM WAS SUCH AN EMOTIONAL MOMENT. APOLOGETIC. HE WAS TERRIFIED. HE WAS SUPER SCARED. AND IT WAS LIKE HE THOUGHT HE WAS GOING TO BE IN TROUBLE. AND WE REASSURED HIM THAT THIS WASN’T HIS FAULT AND HE’S SAFE. AND HE JUST GAVE US A BIG HUG. I HAD TO WIPE HIS TEARS. THE VOLUNTEERS SAY THEY FOUND HIM AROUND NOON. WE AREN’T SURE WHERE EXACTLY, BUT IT WAS SOMEWHERE INDOORS IN CADDO COUNTY. OSBI SAYS THIS WAS CLOSE TO WHERE HIS PARENTS LIVED. OSBI SAYS THEY CONTINUE TO LOOK INTO HOW HE GOT THERE ALL THE WAY FROM THE QUALITY INN IN CHICKASHA, WHERE HE WAS LAST SPOTTED BEFORE HE WENT MISSING EIGHT DAYS AGO. THE VOLUNTEERS WHO FOUND HIM ARE TWO MEN WITH UNITED CAJUN NAVY, A NONPROFIT DEDICATED TO RESCUE OPERATIONS AND HUMANITARIAN HELP. OFFICIALS SAY THIS WAS A COMMUNITY EFFORT BETWEEN SEARCH PARTIES AND PEOPLE SHARING INFORMATION ONLINE AND ON SOCIAL MEDIA. NOW, THE LATEST ON DAVIS OSBI SAYS HE IS RECOVERING. HE IS DOING OKAY AND HE WILL BE IN STATE CUSTODY. INVESTIGATORS ARE NOW WORKING ON WHERE TO PLACE HIM NEXT, BUT THEY ASSURE HE WILL BE SAFE AND COMFORTABLE. IN THE MEANTIME, HIS PARENTS REMAIN IN JAIL ON CHILD ABUSE COMPLAINTS. THE INVESTIGATION INT
‘I had to wipe his tears’: Missing 12-year-old found safe in Caddo County by Texas volunteers
Ryan “RJ” Davis, missing since Jan. 2, was found safe by volunteers in Caddo County, Oklahoma, and is now under evaluation at a hospital.
Updated: 5:36 PM CST Jan 11, 2026
RJ Davis, a 12-year-old boy missing since Jan. 2, was found safe by two volunteers from Texas in Caddo County, Oklahoma, marking an emotional moment for the rescuers who are fathers themselves.>> Download the KOCO 5 app | Subscribe to KOCO 5’s YouTube channel”He was apologetic, terrified, super scared like he was gonna be in trouble. We reassured him this wasn’t his fault, he’s safe, and gave him a big hug,” one of the volunteers said. “We had to get a tissue, I had to wipe his tears.”The volunteers found Davis around noon on Sunday while searching on foot somewhere indoors near where he lived with his mother and stepfather. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation reported that he was not far from where volunteers had searched on Saturday at Lake Burtschi. OSBI continues to investigate how Davis traveled from the Quality Inn in Chickasha, Grady County, where he was last seen on Jan. 2.The two men are with the United Cajun Navy, a nonprofit dedicated to life-saving rescue operations and humanitarian assistance. Officials said this was a community effort between search parties and people sharing information online and on social media. After this recovery, OSBI said they will continue to explore community collaborations on investigations like this one.OSBI officials said Davis is doing well and is in state custody.The agency said they will ensure Davis won’t return to the home or into the custody of his mom and stepdad. Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking here.His parents remain in custody in Caddo County on multiple child abuse complaints, and the investigation remains active and ongoing.Top HeadlinesMovie predictions for the 2026 Golden GlobesVolunteers use boats to help search for missing Chickasha child on Lake BurtschiParents of missing 12-year-old Oklahoma boy at center of ‘suspicious disappearance’ chargedHotel security guard shot and killed in downtown OKC‘He’s got to be somewhere’: Chickasha community holds vigil for missing 12-year-old Ryan Davis
CADDO COUNTY, Okla. —
RJ Davis, a 12-year-old boy missing since Jan. 2, was found safe by two volunteers from Texas in Caddo County, Oklahoma, marking an emotional moment for the rescuers who are fathers themselves.
>> Download the KOCO 5 app | Subscribe to KOCO 5’s YouTube channel
“He was apologetic, terrified, super scared like he was gonna be in trouble. We reassured him this wasn’t his fault, he’s safe, and gave him a big hug,” one of the volunteers said. “We had to get a tissue, I had to wipe his tears.”
The volunteers found Davis around noon on Sunday while searching on foot somewhere indoors near where he lived with his mother and stepfather. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation reported that he was not far from where volunteers had searched on Saturday at Lake Burtschi.
OSBI continues to investigate how Davis traveled from the Quality Inn in Chickasha, Grady County, where he was last seen on Jan. 2.
The two men are with the United Cajun Navy, a nonprofit dedicated to life-saving rescue operations and humanitarian assistance.
Officials said this was a community effort between search parties and people sharing information online and on social media.
After this recovery, OSBI said they will continue to explore community collaborations on investigations like this one.
OSBI officials said Davis is doing well and is in state custody.
The agency said they will ensure Davis won’t return to the home or into the custody of his mom and stepdad.
Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking here.
His parents remain in custody in Caddo County on multiple child abuse complaints, and the investigation remains active and ongoing.
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