Boy who went missing in Michigan state park found safe

GOGEBIC & ONTONAGON COUNTIES, Mich. (WLUC/Gray News) - The 8-year-old boy who went missing in the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park was found safe Monday afternoon, the Michigan State Police said.

According to authorities, the boy, 8-year-old Nante Niemi, was camping with family members and gathering firewood for their campsite when he disappeared around 1 p.m. Saturday.

The Michigan State Police said search party volunteers found Niemi approximately two miles from his campsite about 49 hours after his disappearance.

He braved the elements by taking shelter under a log where he was ultimately found, officials say.

The second-grade boy is in good health and he has been reunited with his family, the Hurley School District shared on Facebook.

Troopers from the Michigan State Police Wakefield Post led the operation with more than 150 search and rescue personnel from state and local law enforcement partners, including nine K-9s. They worked in a roughly 40-square-mile area on foot in remote terrain with some in air and on water as weather conditions allowed.

Several roads were still impassable because of snow depth.

According to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park has 60,000 acres of forest, waterfalls, Lake Superior shoreline, rivers, trails and ridges. The park is Michigan’s largest state park for camping, hiking, snowmobiling, fishing and more.

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