Mystery as tragic toddler, 2, who vanished from his family home in the middle of the night after first crawling into bed with his parents is found dead half a mile from his family home 

• A toddler was found dead half a mile from his house after vanishing in the night 
• Ares Muse had to unlocked three doors to escape from his home in Oklahoma 
• He had crawled into bed with his parents at 1.30am and was missing at 6.30am
• Authorities are investigating and haven't yet deemed the mystery a criminal act 

A tragic mystery has struck an Oklahoma community as a toddler was found dead half a mile from his home after vanishing in the middle of the night.

Ares Muse, 2, was found in the evening of Monday September 12 after he had gone missing from his home in Okemah the night before, according to the Muscogee Creek Nation Lighthouse Police Department.

He was last seen in his home, which is located on tribal land, at about 1.30am after he crawled into bed with his parents, according to his father, who has not been named in reports.

The website for the funeral service name the parents as Nikita Muse and Betty Flanagan.

When they woke up around 6.30am, Ares was no where to be found, and Nikita reported him missing.

Young Ares had reportedly managed to pass through three locked doors to escape his home, according to Jason Salsman, a spokesperson for the Muscogee Nation.

The cause of death has not been made clear. 

A multi-agency search got under way, scouring the surrounding wooded area near Cromwell for 12 hours using every resource they had including drones, boats, people on horseback and those with dogs.

The boy's body was found around 6.30pm half a mile away, devastating first responders who had held out hope for a happy conclusion. 

Although authorities have not yet deemed the death criminal in nature, an official investigation is under way and the boy's family is cooperating with law enforcement officers. 

'We talked all day long about wanting a good outcome, and we didn't get that,' Salsman said.

'It's unfortunate, but that doesn't take away from the effort and from how we need to be there in our hearts and minds for this family.'

Multiple agencies from the tribal, local, state, and federal levels were involved in the search and investigation, said Eric Foster of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.

'We hate to be able to give news like this, it's very unfortunate. But we do come together,' Foster said.

'And we had a lot of citizens reach out as well wanting to help, and that's just Oklahoma and we are proud to be a part of that.'

Ares was the 'family's pride and joy', according to his grandmother. He loved helping his father and the process of dying Easter eggs. 

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help with the costs of the funeral services, according to the page. So far it has raised $1,340 out of a goal of $5,000.

'Ares was a sweet boy. Just short of his 3rd birthday. He loved his mom, dad and sister very much and was a second son to his aunt,' the description reads. 

'The hole that is left in all our hearts will never be filled. '    

The funeral service will be held on Monday, September 19, at the Springfield Methodist Church of Okemah.