NEWSTALK 1010 has learned that the Toronto boy, abducted over his stepbrother's drug debt, was found in rural Brampton.

Peel Paramedics say he was found in the area of Wanless Drive and Heritage Road, west of Mississauga Road and Sandalwood Parkway.

Reports say he was found in a vacant barn but it's not clear how he got there or what lead police to the area.

Toronto Police announced late last night that the boy had been found safe.

"He is safe and being taken for a medical checkup," they wrote in a tweet at 11:05 p.m, adding a news conference would be held Friday morning with more details.

NEWSTALK 1010 will carry that news conference live.

Officers said Friday morning that the boy is back home with his family.

Earlier Thursday evening, Supt. Steve Watts of the Organized Crime Unit said the boy was abducted as retribution for an unpaid multi-million dollar drug debt by his stepbrother.

"This is a 14-year-old innocent child, he is not a part of that business, he is not a part of that lifestyle," Watts said. "I'd like to think that business is business and if you are in a high-risk lifestyle, then you run the risk of being abducted, but I would suggest that innocent children and innocent relatives should be kept out of it."

Watts confirmed there had been some communication with the captors, but wouldn't go into details.

The stepbrother owes a debt in relation to a multi-kilogram cocaine theft, fleeing the GTA in the summer of 2019.

"It's in the area of 100 kilos, which is approximately $4 million," Watts said, adding they have made contact with the stepbrother.

The boy was taken around 8:25 a.m. from the Jane and Driftwood area Wednesday morning, with an Amber Alert being sent out shortly before midnight.

Watts said the initial police call was for unknown trouble, which was investigated throughout the day for eight hours.

"A secondary call was put in by his father that afternoon when he failed to return from school," Watts said, which was around close to 6 p.m.

The Toronto District School Board said staff had been sent on home assignment because he was not reported absent as he should've been per school protocols, but it isn't known exactly why the alert was sent out roughly six hours after the father's call.

NEWSTALK1010 Crime Specialist and former homicide detective Mark Mendelson said the communication with the captors was crucial.

He said kidnappers often connect through police with burner phones and fake emails and could possibly be doing the same with police.

"But you have to take the communication as a positive," he said.

Former OPP Commissioner Chris Lewis said he hoped the news conference would send a message.

"The big guys in these groups aren't going to go and start pulling kids off the street, they've got people to do that, so these are henchmen that work for somebody," he said. "So they better realize quick that they're in big trouble and they'd better release that kid."

With files from Tiffany Hendsbee and Siobhan Morris