Missing boy found safe in U.P. state park by volunteer

Authorities said Monday afternoon they found an 8-year-old Wisconsin boy who had been missing since Saturday afternoon in a state park in Michigan's Upper Peninsula after scouring a 40-square-mile area with hilly terrain and standing water.

A volunteer who was part of more than 150 search-and-rescue personnel combing the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park found Nante Niemi, who "has been located safe and has been reunited with his family!" according to the Michigan State Police.

"A volunteer searching found him under/near a log, where'd he been the entire time, about two miles from the campsite. He appears to be in good health!" State Police said on Twitter.

The 4-foot-2 Niemi was camping with family when he disappeared Saturday afternoon, his mother, Jessica Buerger, told WDIO-TV. State police said he was last seen at about 1 p.m. Temperatures were around 49 degrees in the park Sunday night, according to AccuWeather.

Nante was walking and gathering firewood for the family's campsite when he disappeared, according to a preliminary investigation.

Park officials said dozens of agencies from Michigan and Wisconsin were involved in the search. The search — with some looking on foot, while others searched from the air and on water as weather conditions allowed — had included nine police dogs.

"The terrain is very remote and hilly with a lot of standing water due to the time of the year," officials previously said in a statement. "Several seasonal roads are still impassable because of snow depth."

They also had urged the public to avoid the area.

Nante is a student in the Hurley School District in Hurley, Wisconsin.

Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, fondly known as "the Porkies," is Michigan's largest state park. Located in Ontonagon, it spans 60,000 acres, including a 35,000-acre old-growth forest. It includes Lake in the Clouds, Summit Peak and the Presque River.

In 2020, the park had a record-high number of visitors, 600,000, as people turned to the outdoors amid COVID-19. But with so many new visitors unfamiliar with the park's sometimes difficult terrain, officials say they also had a record number of lost and injured hikers.

Rangers responded to 52 rescues or emergencies in 2020. Historically, this number typically ranges between 6 and 18 per year.

To search for Nante, rescuers established a base at Presque Isle Campground.

"The Michigan State Police wish to thank all of the volunteers and support services that assisted in locating this child," the agency said Monday.

Associated Press contributed.