The crossing guards crossed him, and McDonald's employees served him, but then a Gainesville boy disappeared on his walk home from school and led police on a two hour search Tuesday afternoon.

A helicopter, police officers, and concerned neighbors searched in and around the Hunters Crossing apartment complex for 10-year-old Joseph McCarter, who was inside his friend's apartment the whole time.

"The longer this stretches out, the more concerned we become, obviously, and so do the parents," said GPD Lieutenant Will Halvosa.

McCarter left Talbot Elementary School, walked to McDonalds, and was supposed to be home by 2:00, but he took a detour according to Halvosa.

"Fortunately, in this particular situation, everybody that was called to this scene, was working today. We drop a lot of what we have regardless of priorities, and we make this a priority," he said.

Halvosa says it's not unusual for a child to not show up at home, and be found with a friend.

He stresses the importance of communication between parents and their children.

"There's a lot of evil people out there, and we want to make sure that folks always know that, and don't become complacent in their environment or where they go to school," he said.