A four-hour ordeal for a Susanville family finally had a happy ending when a 10-year-old boy reported missing returned home unharmed.

According to a press release from the Susanville Police Department, the boy’s mother, who lives on the 100 block of Roop Street, reported her son was missing about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 8. The mother told officers her son had gone to afriend’s house around 3 p.m. He was supposed to return around 5 p.m., but he did not.

Another family member sought the public’s assistance by posting information on Facebook, and the community quickly responded. Many people posted a reply to the post, and some also provided information on a community website. News of the boy’s disappearance reportedly lit up the local social media networks and smartphones all across town.

As a result of the posting on Facebook, a large number of city residents began searching for the boy, the press release reports.

“The outpouring of community support last night was impressive,” wrote Tom Downing, Susanville’s chief of police, according to the release. “I want to thank all of those who sent the family positive comments and prayers and supporting the search effort. Susanville is a great community to serve.”

The mother of his friend dropped the missing boy off near his residence about 11 p.m. after she discovered he was still at her house playing with her son. The friend’s mother reported she had gone to bed earlier and was unaware the missing boy was playing with her son or that “a massive search” for the boy was under way.

The Lassen County Sheriff’s Office, Lassen County Search and Rescue, the Susanville Fire Department, the California Highway Patrol, canine tracking units from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and numerous citizens volunteered their time to assist the police department in the search.

“The Susanville Police Department would like to thank all the agencies and individuals for their hard work and assistance during this incident,” the press release read.