ONTONAGON, Mich. (WJMN) – Days of searching have come to a happy end as Michigan State Police (MSP) confirms that a missing 8-year-old boy has been found safe and reunited with his family.
The boy, from Hurley, Wisconsin, was camping with his family in the Porcupine Mountains, a group of small mountains in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, over the weekend.
Saturday afternoon, authorities were called to search for the boy when he didn’t return from collecting firewood.
MSP called in more than 150 search and rescue personnel from the State Police and other agencies. They canvassed a roughly 40-square-mile area from Saturday through early Monday afternoon.
According to MSP, a volunteer found the boy, who “had braved the elements by taking shelter under a log where he was ultimately found.” He had stayed in one place, about two miles from the family campsite, since he was reported missing on Saturday.
The Hurley School District shared photos of the boy with volunteers on Facebook writing, “Words can not describe the emotions and joy the students and staff are experiencing at this moment!”
Nexstar’s WJMN was on the scene when the boy was brought out of the woods. MSP said he appears to be in good health.
The remote, hilly terrain and seasonal roads with remaining snow made the search difficult. Temperatures in the area had been mostly in the 40s and 50s, online data shows.