ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Saturday, March 30, 1996               TAG: 9604010020
SECTION: NATL/INTL                PAGE: A3   EDITION: METRO 
DATELINE: CASSVILLE, MO.
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS

STORY OF LOST BOY BEING INVESTIGATED

Authorities say some things just don't add up in the story of a 10-year-old boy with Down syndrome who allegedly survived three days in the woods with two stray dogs' help.

So Barry County Prosecutor David Cole requested a police investigation after discrepancies began to emerge, the Springfield News-Leader reported Friday.

``There are a lot of rumors locally that things didn't happen as reported,'' Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Miles Parks said.

Josh Carlisle was reported missing by his mother March 6. He was found 70 hours later. Two strays were credited with keeping him alive by keeping him warm.

Josh's parents, who have reached a deal with a movie producer for rights to the story, were outraged by the investigation.

``I'm devastated by it,'' said his mother, Johnny Coffey.

Among the prosecutors' concerns:

* Though temperatures dipped into the single digits each night he was gone, Josh suffered frostbite only on his toes. His face, ears and fingers were unaffected.

* His rescuer told the newspaper the boy's underwear did not appear to be soiled.

* Family members apparently told investigators the dogs brought food to Josh. Nate Lissant of the Veterinary Information Service, an on-line service for vets, said: ``That's just not normal behavior for dogs.''

LENGTH: Short :   40 lines
ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO:  AP. Josh Carlisle, 10, sits up in his room at Cox South 
          Medical Center in Springfield, Mo., after his rescue.