It took three harrowing days for a search team to find Casey Hathaway alive.

Facing heavy rain, gusty winds and low visibility, rescuers and law enforcement combed the difficult Craven County, North Carolina, terrain — focusing on up to 1,000 acres of heavily wooded areas.

On day three, a tip led the search team to a spot where they were able to hear the 3-year-old calling out for his mother, Craven County Sheriff Chip Hughes told reporters at a news conference Thursday night.

They followed his call 40 to 50 yards into the woods, through water, to find Casey tangled in vines and thorns, Hughes said.

He was cold, authorities said, but alive and responsive.

Casey was playing with two other relatives in his great-grandmother’s backyard Tuesday, but didn’t come inside when the others did, CNN affiliate WTVD reported.

His family searched for him for 45 minutes before calling 911, Hughes said.

“He was walking in the woods back there and we can’t find him,” his great-grandmother told the 911 dispatcher. “The other ones come through the house but left him there and he walked off somewhere and we can’t find him.”