2-year-old boy missing in southwest Detroit found safe

DETROIT (FOX 2) - The 2-year-old boy who was reported missing in southwest Detroit early Friday morning has been found safe. 

Aries Washington was found around 10 a.m. in a vacant lot, close to the home where he was last seen. We're told he was covered in a bunch of leaves and brush and apparently sheltered from the cold. He's been taken to the hospital as a precaution to be evaluated. 

He went missing in the area of Yale and Melville Street, which is in a neighborhood near Zug Island. Police were seen there earlier this morning canvassing the streets with a tracking dog.

The boy's father told police they were walking from a McDonald's around midnight when it started pouring rain, so they sought shelter in the 8400 block of Melville under an awning outside a vacant home. They eventually fell asleep, and the father said when he woke up around 5:30 a.m. the boy wasn't around. 

A neighbor told us she heard screaming right around the same time and wondered what was going on.

We're told the father is being detained by police for questioning.

This is a developing story. Stay with us for updates.