Denton PD searching for missing 2-year-old boy

Authorities, first responders and volunteers have been searching for a missing 2-year-old boy in Denton for several hours.

Police say 2-year-old Sarbesh Gurung went missing on Tuesday just before 2 p.m from a home in the 2400 block of West Prairie Street near the UNT campus.

Denton PD released two pictures of the boy. His mother told police he was last seen wearing a blue and white plaid shirt with green tennis shoes and dark-colored pants.

Denton Police Chief Frank Dixon says an Amber Alert has not been issued because the information they have does not meet the criteria for one. At this point, he says there is no indication the boy was abducted so there's no suspect or vehicle description to send out in an Amber Alert. However, he says he's working with TxDOT to put out a regional alert.

Sarbesh's mother told police her son disappeared from the family's apartment located off West Prairie Street.

“She had last seen her son four minutes prior to the 911 call,” Chief Dixon said. “She was doing something in the residence and then turned around and the child was gone.”

The first responding officers did a search of the apartment, but they didn’t find anything. There was no indication as to how and why Sarbesh disappeared.

“There wasn't anything open that led us know that,” Dixon said. “But very close to him preceding to leaving, one of the doors was open for a short period of time.”

With help from dozens of people who live in the neighborhood, officers and firefighters began widening their search to include a five-block radius from the family's apartment. They used air support, search and rescue dogs and boots on the ground to check storm drains, manholes, trash cans and high brush for any place that a 1-year-old could be.

“We have left no stone unturned and will continue to do that until we bring this to a resolution,” Chief Dixon said.

Anthony Kurijlacherry is a family friend. He says the Gurung family moved to Denton from Nepal four years ago so that the boy's father could get his PhD from UNT.

“From my experience, he was a little shy. I don’t think he was wild running around,” Kurijlacherry said. “I know them personally. They wouldn't do this. Any foul play. Absolutely not.”                                   

The police chief says he is not ruling anything out at this point.

Denton PD has a dedicated tip line at 940-349-7960. Anyone who sees him is urged to call 911 or the tip line immediately.