Authorities found a 1-year-old boy alive Monday in a car that had crashed off an Arkansas highway about two days before, a discovery that one investigator called a "miracle."

The investigation started when authorities found a 3-year-old boy wandering on Arkansas 24 west of Camden shortly before 8 a.m., detective Nathan Greeley said.

Ouachita County deputies took the child, who had several scratches and cuts on his body, back to the Ouachita County jail where staff members took care of the boy until the Department of Human Services took custody of the child, according to a news release. A photo of the toddler also was posted on Facebook in an attempt to try to find his family.

Authorities learned the name of the child's mother and that the family hadn't seen the woman or her children in several days, Greeley said.

When deputies returned to the place where the boy was found, they discovered a green Chevrolet Impala wrecked in a ravine about 300 yards east of where the 3-year-old had been found. The crash couldn't be seen from the road, Greeley said.

Greeley said the car, which was lying on its side, had been in the ravine for about two days.

Deputies found the body of the 25-year-old mother, who had been thrown from the vehicle, and discovered her 1-year-old child still fastened in a car seat inside the wrecked vehicle. Deputies climbed into the vehicle and removed the child, who was awake and alert when he was transported to the Ouachita County Medical Center for treatment, according to the release.

Greeley said the 3-year-old "basically saved his brother's life," adding that finding the baby alive inside the car was "a miracle." He said neither child appeared to be suffering from life-threatening injuries, but that both were dehydrated after being alone for days.

Greeley declined to identify the boys' mother but said she was from Camden. Arkansas State Police are investigating the crash, he said.

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State Desk on 08/21/2018