Lost 7-year-old in Colorado found miles away driving stolen golf cart
Nov 17, 2025, 5:17 PM | Updated: Nov 20, 2025, 2:44 pm
Having a crazy six-year-old son myself, all I can say is I am thankful that this wasn’t him…
The normally-quiet western Colorado town of Palisade had a wild situation unfold Sunday morning, involving a lost 7-year-old and a golf cart thief.
The Mesa County Sheriff’s Office received a call at about 7:55 a.m. related to a lost child. Law enforcement responded immediately and started to canvas the area, also issuing a reverse 911 call about the situation that went out to local residents.
About five minutes after that message went out, a local resident reported that a child was seen sitting on a golf cart about half a mile north of where the child was reported missing. By the time deputies got to that property, the child and the golf cart were gone.
Another reverse 911 call was sent out related to the involvement of the golf cart with a drone also deployed to help track the golf cart down. Not long after the second call went out, more tips started to flood in, relaying the location of the golf cart to law enforcement.
Once the slow-moving golf cart was spotted, a deputy was able to jump into it, bringing the vehicle to a stop and safely securing the child. The incident wrapped up around 9:15 a.m., more than an hour after the child was reported missing.
In all, the kid drove more than 10 miles in the stolen golf cart. Authorities turned the child over to guardians and the golf cart was returned to its rightful owner. There were no injuries related to the incident.
