Missing South Elgin boy found with mother

An intense search for a missing 8-year-old South Elgin boy ended happily Friday when police found him alive and well more than seven hours after he was last seen at home.

South Elgin Police Chief Christopher Merritt said the boy, Eli Berri, was located with his mother at her job in Hoffman Estates and returned home to his father unharmed.

"It appears to be a miscommunication between mom and dad," Merritt said.

The couple recently separated, police said.

Eli had last been seen about 4 a.m. Friday in the home he shares with his father, located in the 1200 block of Raymond Street.

The father alerted police at 8:58 a.m. that his son was missing. The child was located with his mother about 11:35 a.m.

Deputy Police Chief Jerry Krawczyk said the mother picked Eli up at about 7 a.m. and probably assumed the father knew the she was watching him for the day. No criminal charges are expected at this time, but authorities are still investigating, he said.

Police from South Elgin, the Kane County Sheriff's Office and the Kane County Forest Preserve scoured the area around his home, the edge of the Fox River, railroad tracks and bike trails for the boy.

"The search was done as a precaution while we searched for his mom," Merritt said. "With these temperatures and an 8-year-old boy, we didn't know how long he had been missing. We thought it was very prudent and imperative we cover the area as quickly as possible."