A baby boy has been rescued from the Montana woods over the weekend after local authorities say he had been abandoned in a pile of debris by his caregiver, who has since been arrested. The Missoula County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call at around 8pm on Saturday reporting a man who was acting strangely in the Lolo Hot Springs area. While deputies were on their way to the scene, additional callers reported that the suspect was now threatening people, saying he had a gun and was reaching into his pockets. Miracle baby: This five-month-old baby boy was rescued from the cold Montana mountains where he was left lying face down in a pile of debris for at least nine hours Caregiver charged: The baby's caregiver, 32-year-old Francis Crowley, was arrested on Saturday and charged with criminal endangerment By the time the deputies arrived, the suspect, 32-year-old Francis Carlton Crowley, had left already the area. They soon learned that a five-month-old boy who had been left in Crowley’s care had not been seen for several hours. While the deputies were trying to track down the man, another 911 call came in saying he had returned to Lolo Hot Springs, where he was ultimately apprehended. Law enforcement officials attempted to question the 32-year-old, but ‘he appeared to be under the influence of drugs and was not making sense to officers,’ according to a press release from the sheriff’s office. Statements made by Crowley indicated the baby was possibly buried somewhere in the mountains. The revelation sparked a massive search effort that was carried out by members of Missoula County Search and Rescue, the United States Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Montana Highway Patrol, and Missoula County deputies. At 2.30am, after more than six hours of searching on foot, a deputy heard the faint cry of a baby. He followed the sound and found the infant alive, lying face down and buried under a pile of sticks and debris. The baby was found near Lolo Hot Springs, Montana (general view), where temperatures were in the mid-40s on Saturday evening Clothed in only a wet and soiled onesie, the baby had been left alone in the woods for at least nine hours. Temperatures in the area that night were in the mid-40s. The baby was transported to a local hospital and was said to be in a good condition. ‘For all of us at the sheriffs [sic] office, this is what we call a miracle,’ the sheriff’s office wrote in the press release. ‘For the officers who were present for this event, its [sic] especially hard knowing what this small baby endured in the last 24 hours. Crowley was taken to the Missoula County Detention Facility and booked on a count of criminal endangerment, with additional charges still pending. His bond was set at $50,000. The suspect is scheduled to appear before a judge on Monday afternoon.<doc-sep>MISSOULA, Mont. -- A faint whimper in the darkness was all it took. Missoula County Sheriff's Deputy Ross Jessop and U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement Officer Nick Scholz rushed toward the sound after hours spent searching the Montana woods for a missing infant. Jessop was about to take another step when he heard a stick crack underfoot. He looked down to find a cold, wet, soiled 5-month-old boy face-down buried under a pile of debris. "I abandoned any police training or any chance of saving evidence there - I didn't care," Jessop, a father of three, told reporters on Tuesday. "I scooped up the baby, made sure he was breathing. He had a sparkle in his eye. (I) warmed him up, gave him a couple of kisses and just held him." This Sunday, July 8, 2018 photo provided by the Missoula County Sheriff's Office shows a 5-month-old infant with dirt under their fingernails after authorities say the baby survived about nine hours being buried under sticks and debris in the woods. Missoula County Sheriff's Office via AP The baby, who had been abandoned for at least nine hours before Jessop and Scholz found him at 2:30 a.m. Sunday, was cold, hungry and had scrapes and bruises, but was otherwise in good condition. They wrapped him in a coat and carried the boy out of the woods to safety. "It was the happiest 15-20 minutes of my career," Scholz said of the walk out. "I was just stunned. Walking in to this situation, you were mentally prepared for the worst." The baby drank a whole bottle of Pedialyte in under a minute, then drank two more, said Missoula County Sheriff's Capt. Bill Burt. The baby's tiny, dirty hand grasped Burt's finger with surprising strength, then he fell soundly asleep as hospital officials hooked him up to an IV, Burt said. The rescue that Sheriff T.J. McDermott called a miracle was recounted moments before Francis Crowley, 32, appeared in court to hear charges against him that included assault on a minor and criminal endangerment. This Sunday, July 8, 2018 booking photo provided by the Missoula County Jail shows suspect Francis Crowley, who was being held on $50,000 bail on a charge of criminal endangerment. Missoula County Jail via AP Crowley told investigators he left the boy in the woods after crashing his car because the baby was heavy, according to court records. He appeared in Missoula County Justice Court from jail by video, and he broke down repeatedly as he heard the allegations against him. Crowley doubled over, then fell to the floor and covered his face with his hands, sobbing. He exclaimed twice, "I love that f------ kid," and implored the judge not to take him away. Public defender Ted Fellman said Crowley had no money and was living near Lolo Hot Springs. Sheriff's officials said Crowley, the child's mother and the boy were living in a camp near the hot springs in Lolo National Forest. Crowley is from Portland, Oregon, and was previously arrested in June in Missoula on a fugitive warrant from Oregon for a probation violation, Missoula County prosecutors said. He has a string of prior arrests that include burglary, assault, drug and criminal mischief charges, Deputy County Attorney Brittany Williams said. The nature of Crowley's relationship to the baby was not immediately clear. Crowley did not enter a plea during the court hearing. Judge Marie Andersen set bail at $200,000 and scheduled his next court date for July 25. Deputies were called to Lolo Hot Springs at 8 p.m. Saturday because Crowley was creating a disturbance and threatening to fire a gun, Missoula County prosecutors said. Crowley was disoriented, likely because of drug use, and unable to help officers find the baby or say how long ago the crash had occurred, charging documents said. He variously said the baby was lying on the side of the road or had died and was buried in the woods. But Crowley described crashing along an abandoned road that Jessop recognized as one that he started searching a little while earlier until it got too rough. He called for a four-wheel drive vehicle and he and Scholz found the wreck beyond the road's end. They followed a trail of items that included baby formula and a diaper bag before hearing the child. Crowley has a criminal record out of Oregon that includes convictions of burglary and eluding police, CBS affiliate KPAX reported. The baby was taken via ambulance to the hospital. On the way, the baby coughed up small sticks, the charging document said. He was treated for dehydration, lack of food and scratches, cuts and bruises and was placed in the custody of the Department of Public Health and Human Services. For Jessop, who has three daughters, the rescue gave him encouragement in what he described as an emotionally draining job. In 2010, a coroner's inquest cleared Jessop in the fatal shooting of a man who had tried to shoot the deputy during a late-night traffic stop. "To experience this, to have God help me, let me experience something like this, just gives me an extra boost," Jessop said. "You know what? Cops actually do matter sometimes. We actually do a good job. So it's pretty encouraging for me."<doc-sep>
A 5-month-old infant who had been buried under piles of sticks and debris in Montana wilderness was miraculously found alive — at least nine hours later. The man accused of abandoning the child said the infant was too "heavy." Police received reports of a man “acting strange” around Lolo Hot Springs, Montana, around 8 p.m. Saturday. As they headed to the area, more reports came in saying the man was threatening people, claiming to have a gun. Francis Carlton Crowley, 32, had left the area by the time Missoula County Sheriff's Office deputies arrived. Even more concerning: A 5-month-old baby boy that was left in Crowley's care hadn’t been seen for several hours. When deputies were able to locate him, police said he appeared intoxicated and made statements indicating the baby might be buried somewhere in the mountains. A host of departments, including local Search and Rescue officers as well as members of the United States Forest Service, came together to look for the missing infant. “After more than 6 hours of searching on foot, a deputy heard the faint cry of a baby," police said in a statement. "He followed the sound and found the baby alive, face down, buried under a pile of sticks and debris.” More:Toddler dies from self-inflicted gunshot wound in California More:Police live tweet child's last day alive in 1973 The baby was clothed only in a wet and soiled onesie, police said. It was about 46 degrees that night. In court on Tuesday, an emotional Crowley told investigators he left the infant in the woods after crashing his car, because the child was “heavy,” court documents state. He told the judge he loved the child and pleaded not to be taken away. Sheriff’s officials said Crowley, the child’s mother and the infant were living in a camp near the hot springs in Lolo National Forest. Crowley’s relationship to the baby wasn’t immediately clear. Crowley did not enter a plea during the court hearing. His bail was set at $200,000. Crowley has previously been arrested for burglary, assault, drug and criminal mischief charges, Deputy County Attorney Brittany Williams said. The baby was taken to a local hospital, where authorities say he is in good condition. Sheriff's spokeswoman Brenda Bassett said in a statement Monday the baby suffered only minor scrapes and bruising. "For all of us at the sheriff's office, this is what we call a miracle," police said. Custody of the child has been referred to the state Division of Child and Family Services. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Follow Ashley May on Twitter: @AshleyMayTweets