An 8-year-old Wisconsin boy missing for two days in a remote, rugged northern Michigan park was found safe Monday and appeared to be in good shape, authorities said.
The park posted a photo of one of the searchers carrying Nante Niemi on his back. Another photo on Facebook shows the boy wearing a dirty sweatshirt and munching on a Clif bar.
Nante had been gathering wood while camping with his family when he was last seen Saturday afternoon in Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in the western Upper Peninsula. He was found around 1:30 p.m. on Monday, approximately two miles from the campsite.
Overnight temperatures had been in the 40s.
“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,” state police said in a statement.
More than 150 people from various law enforcement groups joined the search on foot, in the air and on water. The park has rivers and lakes and is situated along Lake Superior.
Colin Gauther, a member of the team, told NBC affiliate WLUC that the group saw footprints and heard a sound that they initially believed to be a bird.
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"I heard it again, and this time it was completely clear," Gauther told the station. "I heard him yell, and it sounded just like someone screaming their head off."
The Hurley School District in Wisconsin, where Nante is a second-grade student, was elated by the discovery.
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“Words can not describe the emotions and joy the students and staff are experiencing at this moment!” the district said on Facebook.
