14-year-old with autism found stuck in marsh after he went missing, Michigan cops say
A 14-year-old boy with autism was hiking with his church group when he ran off, Michigan deputies said.
He had been on a camping trip at a park in Commerce Township but disappeared around 4 p.m. on Aug. 20, according to an Aug. 21 news release from the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.
After learning that the teen was attracted to bodies of water, Sheriff Michael Bouchard said he feared the boy was at risk of drowning.
A search and rescue team flew helicopters and drones over the area to look for the missing boy as other officers and rescuers searched the ground, deputies said.
Three hours after the boy went missing, helicopter pilots spotted him in a marshy area, deputies said. The teen had gotten stuck in an area of the park with no trail or road access.
Rescuers used a boat to get to him and pull him from the “thick, waist-deep mud, water and dense vegetation,” according to the news release.
He was taken to the hospital, treated for minor scrapes and bruises, and released, deputies said.
Bouchard said there have been 11 drownings in the county this year.
Commerce Township is about a 40-mile drive northwest of Detroit.
This story was originally published August 22, 2024 at 7:42 AM with the headline "14-year-old with autism found stuck in marsh after he went missing, Michigan cops say."
