Goshen Boy Who Helped Find Missing 4-Year-Old Getting Young Hero Award

GOSHEN (CBS) -- A 10-year-old boy born with several disabilities is being honored Tuesday night for helping find a missing 4-year-old in March.

Mason Neveu, who is deaf in one ear, was able to hear the missing child walking through the woods and help bring him home safely. On Tuesday night, he will be awarded a Young Hero award from the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services Public Safety Unit, as well as commendations from the Mass. House of Representatives and the Goshen Fire Department.

"What makes this incident even more remarkable is that Mason was born with several birth defects including a cleft palate," the Goshen Fire Department wrote on their Facebook page Sunday. "He also has a glass eye and is deaf in one ear. Over his short lifetime, Mason has also endured 18 surgeries to date with more on the horizon."

On March 23, 4-year-old Colton Roberts, the son of Goshen firefighters Chris and Erika Roberts, walked away from his home while playing with the family's new German shepherd puppy. Goshen Fire Department Captain Monica Neveu brought her three sons, Adrien, 14, and twins Dylan and Mason, 10, along to help with the search for the young boy.

"Colton is well known to GFD firefighters," the department said in their post. "We've known him since he was a baby. He was a constant presence at the firehouse on drill nights and we all knew he wasn't a child who would sit still."

As temperatures dropped and it began to get dark outside, the Neveus searched the woods with other firefighters and police. After the searchers found Colton's bicycle by a brook, they began following a snowmobile trail, when Mason said he heard something. He then ran over the next hill, and returned with Colton and the German shepherd puppy.

The ceremony honoring Mason will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the Goshen Fire Station on Main Street in Goshen.