Autistic Va. boy found after 6-day search remains hospitalized
(CBS/WTVR/AP) DOSWELL, Va. - The autistic 8-year-old boy who was lost in the Virginia woods for six days remains in the hospital while doctors attempt to repair a hole his esophagus.
Police say Robert Wood Jr. was found Friday afternoon near the North Anna Battlefield Park where he was separated from his family.
The boy was taken to the VCU Medical Center in Richmond where he was listed in stable condition, according to a hospital spokeswoman, reports Fredericksburg.com.
Robert's grandmother, Norma Jean Williams, said in a telephone interview Tuesday that doctors found a hole in the boy's esophagus, Fredericksburg.com reports.
"It must have been something he tried to eat," she said. "That's why they can't give him any solid foods."
The boy, who does not speak, was reportedly found by a citizen volunteer at a quarry about a mile from where he disappeared Sunday, Oct. 23. Police say Robert had been hiking with his father, younger brother and his father's girlfriend.
Wood was the focus of an intense search involving thousands of volunteers around the park.