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A 9-year-old boy who was rescued by an illegal border crosser northwest of Nogales after his mother died in a car crash on Thanksgiving evening was reunited with his dogs and released from the hospital Monday.

Monday's events marked the first steps in a what will likely be a long recovery for Christopher Buchleitner, who is now an orphan. Except for a few bumps and bruises, he escaped physically unscathed, but he has lost both of his parents within a span of less than three months.

His mother, Dawn Alice Tomko, 45, of Rimrock, died Friday about six miles west of Peña Blanca Lake in an area 60 miles southwest of Tucson after she lost control of her van, hit an embankment and fell off a cliff. His father, Jack Buchleitner, committed suicide on Labor Day, said Christopher's uncle, David Tomko, who along with his wife, Janice Tomko, of the Farmington, N.M., area, came to Arizona to pick up and take care of Christopher.

Christopher hasn't talked much about the crash yet, Tomko said. When he's playing and diverted, he's OK. But at night before bed, he's been getting upset, nurses told Tomko.

"He's been receiving counseling for the death of his father; now this is compounded on that," Tomko said. "He's going to need a lot of help."

The Monday afternoon delivery of the dogs, who also were in the van and survived the fall, provided Christopher with a few precious moments of happiness at University Medical Center, Tomko said. The 11-year-old male Golden retriever named Tanner was uninjured, while the 10-year-old female Queensland heeler named Jade suffered cuts on her right hind leg, said Michael Foster, Rio Rico Fire District chief.

Rio Rico firefighters, who were the first to arrive at the crash scene Friday morning, rescued the dogs and held them in a county shelter over the weekend.

"He was very happy to see them," Tomko said. "He had heard they were coming. The nurses said he was really looking forward to seeing them. The dogs were very, very pleased to see him as well."

The Tomkos plan to take Christopher back to Rimrock — east of Prescott near Interstate 17 — for a few days before heading to the Pittsburgh area, where Christopher's parents' families live. They haven't decided yet who'll take custody of the boy, but it will likely be a member of Jack Buchleitner's family, he said.

No matter where Christopher ends up, the dogs will stay with him, Tomko said. Tanner was with Christopher the entire night after the accident, and firefighters found Jade Friday afternoon while removing the Chevrolet Astrovan from the canyon floor, Foster said. Jade had bolted from the van after the crash.

"The dogs are definitely going with Christopher; that's the one remaining constant that he has," Tomko said.

In Mexico, meanwhile, authorities are looking for the man whom they credit with helping to save Christopher's life: Jesus Manuel Cordova, 26, of Magdalena de Kino, Sonora.

A number of people, including the Rio Rico Fire District firefighters, want to recognize him for his actions, said Beatriz López Gargallo, Mexican consul general in Nogales.

So far, though, authorities haven't found him, she said.

Cordova was walking north Friday evening after crossing the border illegally when he encountered Christopher wandering alone in a remote canyon. He stayed with him through the night, consoling him, giving him a jacket and keeping him warm with a fire. In the morning, Cordova flagged down a pair of hunters, who called authorities.

When U.S. Border Patrol agents arrived, Cordova turned himself in and was granted voluntary return, meaning he was bused to Nogales, Sonora, and dropped off.

It's almost as if Cordova was meant to be out there in that spot, at that time, to find Christopher, said Capt. Al Flores of the Rio Rico Fire District. That, coupled with the fact that Christopher miraculously survived the fall off the cliff, leads Flores to believe someone or something was looking out for Christopher.

"Luck was with him. God was with him. Something was with him," Flores said.

In trying to find out more about Cordova, Fire Chief Foster discovered that Christopher and Cordova share the same birthday: July 30.

"Almost sort of like a guardian angel," Foster said. "Chris was pretty lucky that Mr. Cordova came along."

The family is very grateful to Cordova too, Tomko said.

"His kindness, his generosity — you know he's definitely a good Samaritan. It happened at the right time, and he definitely cared enough about our nephew that he did a great service," Tomko said.

Christopher's mother, Dawn Alice Tomko, had been a science teacher at Camp Verde High School in Camp Verde for nine years, David Tomko said. Camp Verde is near Rimrock.

She and Jack Buchleitner had been married for about 12 years, he said. She loved the outdoors and passed on that passion to Christopher. The two of them were inseparable, he said.

They were camping near Peña Blanca Lake on Thanksgiving when the crash occurred.