PORCUPINE MOUNTAINS, Mich. (WSVN) — In a miraculous turn of events, rescue teams located and safely brought 8-year-old Nante Niemi to his family after he had been lost in the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in Michigan for nearly 50 hours.
Niemi disappeared while returning to his family’s campsite, and despite the rescue teams searching the area multiple times, they were unable to spot him initially because the child was circling the path they already searched.
According to Lt. Jason Wickstrom of the Michigan State Police, Niemi was found at approximately 1:30 p.m. Central Time on Monday by some local search and rescue personnel sheltering under a log.
“He had been circling that particular area yesterday and for part of last night,” he said.
The rescue team that eventually found the boy included Eli Talsma, Neimi’s friend, and Matthew Tingstad.
“As soon as I heard that, I just grabbed my bag and started sprinting over to him,” said Talsma. “As I got over this tiny hill, I saw a little white sweatshirt and he goes, ‘Eli?’ and I just ran up over to him and gave him the biggest hug. I was so relieved once I aw him.”
Talsma used a carrier pack to transport Niemi out of the woods due to his fatigue.
Niemi was found about two miles from his family’s campsite, and the boy spent two nights alone in the woods with temperatures dropping into the mid-forties. About a quarter-inch of rain also fell while he was missing.
He told rescuers that he was careful not to drink water he found in the woods because he didn’t want to get sick.
Despite being lost in the woods for more than two days, Niemi was found in good health and unharmed.
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