Casey Hathaway visits deputies who found him in the woods

CRAVEN COUNTY, N.C. (WTVD) -- A special visit played out Thursday morning for a 3-year-old boy who captured the country's attention after getting lost in the woods last week.

Casey Hathaway and his family stopped by the Craven County Sheriff's Office to visit some of the people who worked tirelessly to find him.

Hathaway spent nearly three days in the woods enduring rain and freezing temperatures.

The search started after he didn't go back to his great grandmother's house in Ernul on Jan. 22 after playing outside with other kids.

More on ABC11: 'That was God at work,' says man who rescued Casey Hathaway

After more than 48 hours of intense searching, Casey was found unharmed, not far from where he went missing. Search crews found him caught in prickly shrubs.

He spent days recovering in the hospital.