Updated

Investigators and residents scoured a Missouri community for an 8-year-old boy who vanished Sunday afternoon, before finding him safe almost 24 hours later.

Specific details on where he was found were not immediately available.

Travis Covey wandered away from his Smithville Lake home at about 2 or 3 p.m. Sunday, MyFOX4C.com reported. Police were contacted about 4 p.m.

While the boy has reportedly taken off before, police and his family stepped up the search and appealed to volunteers for help on Monday morning when he failed to return home, MyFOX4KC.com reported.

He goes into the woods. He's an adventurer," police told the station. "He's not restricted by time of day, obviously clothing, or parental directives. He goes when he wants to go. He's just a young man that we need to get back as safely and as quickly as we can."

The search was focusing on a wooded area south of Smithville Lake, and about a mile from the boy's home, MyFOX4KC.com reported.

Covey is four feet tall with green eyes and short brown hair. He was last seen wearing red boxer shorts and no shoes.

Click here for more on this story from MyFOX4KC.com.