A young boy who spent days lost in a Michigan national park has recently been rescued.
The eight-year-old boy - identified as Nante Niemi - went missing at around 1:00 PM on Saturday afternoon (May 6) while he went out to look for firewood for the campsite he was at with his family in the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in northwest Michigan. The sudden disappearance caused an extensive search and rescue effort to find Niemi, who hails from Wisconsin.
In a statement released by the Michigan State Police, it was revealed that "more than 150 search and rescue personnel from MSP and local police partners, including nine K9s" were involved in the search, which covered an approximately 40 square mile area on foot (as well as in the air and on water).
"The terrain is very remote and hilly with a lot of standing water due to the time of the year. Several seasonal roads are still impassable because of snow depth," the statement also added.
A little while later, police explained in an updated statement that Niemi was safely located at 1:30 PM on Monday afternoon (May 8) by search party volunteers about two miles from his campsite. "He had braved the elements by taking shelter under a log where he was ultimately found. He is in good health and reunited with his family," the statement explained.
The boy had been walking a trail on Sunday, but eventually, the path ran out, state police's Upper Peninsula division tweeted. He had been missing for two days.
"A number of you have asked how Nante survived in the woods. Lieutenant Wickstrom says the boy told them he covered up with branches and leaves for warmth and also blanketed the log he was under. He didn't have any food but ate clean snow for hydration," one tweet read.
In a subsequent tweet, the Upper Peninsula Division added: "He walked a trail yesterday (Sunday, May 7) and when he ran out of trail, he figured the best thing to do was to just stop and wait. They offered to carry him out today, but he told the guys who found him that he wanted to walk!"
Niemi was finally found Monday afternoon by search party volunteers about two miles from the campsite, police said. He is in good health and has been reunited with his family.
A local Michigan news outlet spoke to Eli Talsma, a friend of Niemi's who was among the rescue group that found him. Talsma told the outlet about the moment he heard members of the search party calling out that they had found him, saying: "As soon as I heard that, I grabbed my bag that was on the ground and I started sprinting over to him. I just ran over to him and I gave him the biggest hug. I was so relieved once I saw him."
Niemi's school district in Wisconsin took to Facebook to express their relief after the boy was found, saying (via CNN): "Although our emotions are very raw at this time, we want to acknowledge the extreme outpouring of love and support we received over the past few days."
