BARSTOW, Calif.—Family members and volunteers are urgently searching for a 2-year-old boy who went missing Thursday evening after his family’s vehicle was swept away by floodwaters in Barstow.
The toddler, identified as Xavier Padilla, had just celebrated his birthday on Monday, Sept. 15. According to relatives, his father, Brandon Padilla, was driving with Xavier along Main Street around 6:40 p.m. on Sept. 18 when their car became trapped in rapidly rising waters. Brandon was rescued and transported to a hospital, but Xavier’s whereabouts remain unknown.
Multiple agencies—including the San Bernardino County Fire Department, Barstow Fire Department, and the California Highway Patrol—responded to the scene and launched an extensive search. Police suspended operations overnight, resuming early Friday morning, but community volunteers continued combing the surrounding area.
Leeanna Kay, Xavier’s aunt, has been posting urgent appeals on social media, sharing photos of her nephew and imploring the public for assistance. “Please help us bring him home!” she wrote in a Friday morning post. “We need every prayer and every person available to help us look! He is a two-year-old and he needs you!”
Kay emphasized that Xavier is non-verbal and has autism, highlighting the heightened urgency of the search. “We need all the help we can get,” she told KTTV. “If you live in the area, if you have bright lights—anything that can help us look through the dirt, the mud—anything to help us find him, we greatly appreciate it.”
The toddler is described as nearly 4 feet tall, weighing 28 pounds, with curly brown hair. He was last seen wearing a black shirt and pants with black-and-white Nike shoes. Family members have expressed profound concern, noting that the child was swept away in the wake of Tropical Storm Mario, which brought heavy rains and flash flooding to parts of Southern California.
In a separate social media post, Kay shared the emotional strain the family is experiencing. “Dear Heavenly Father, I pray to you now to ask that you grant our family this miracle,” she wrote. “We just laid our grandma to rest. Please hear our prayers and grant us this miracle. Please help us find my nephew safe and sound and bring him home.”
As of Friday, the search remains ongoing. Authorities and volunteers continue to comb the area, and the family is appealing for anyone who can assist—whether by helping search or offering prayers—to step forward.
