VIENNA — A 3-year-old boy with autism was found within one mile of his home Sunday after being spotted by an eagle-eyed pilot with the Maine Warden Service during a search that lasted more than two hours.

Ben Lehr was reported missing about 2:30 p.m. by his father, Jonathan Lehr, after he discovered that the boy had wandered off from their Vienna Mountain Road home in Kennebec County. Rescue crews were led to the boy at about 4:45 p.m. by Dan Dufault, a pilot with the Maine Warden Service, who spotted the boy in tall grass in a field about 100 yards from his backyard.

“Dan has eagle eyes. He’s really an exceptional pilot,” said Deborah Turcotte, spokeswoman for the Maine Warden Service.

Turcotte said that Dufault was able to spot the child because he had taken off his camouflage pajama top and his bare skin stood out in the green field. She said that the boy was checked out by medical personnel at the scene, but that he was fine.

Search and rescue crews from the Maine Warden Service, Maine State Police, Kennebec and Franklin county sheriff’s offices, and Vienna and Manchester fire departments all assisted in the immediate search. Additional crews were en route to the scene when Dufault located the boy by air.

Turcotte said that the incident remains under investigation by authorities.

Editor’s Note: In the Aug. 2 edition of the Sun Journal, Dan Dufault’s name was incorrectly spelled as “Default.” We apologize for this error.