Boy, 8, lost in Porcupine Mountains creates tracks in snow to flag rescuers
ONTONAGON COUNTY, Michigan -- An 8-year-old Wisconsin boy went missing this weekend while camping with his family in the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in Michigan.
Rescuers searched tirelessly by land, air, and water to find him.
"We've got to find him today. Today is the day to find him. If we don't find him today, he's not going to make it," said family friend and rescuer Matt Tingstad.
Tingstad knew Monday morning that they needed to find 8-year-old Nante Niemi soon.
The second-grader from Hurley, Wisconsin had been missing in the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in Michigan's Upper Peninsula since Saturday afternoon. The heavily wooded area was difficult to search.
"It's so densely packed even just getting a four-wheeler into the area is very difficult," said Darian Reed, president of Superior Search & Rescue.
Tingstad and a search partner hiked over 14 miles while searching from Sunday morning to Sunday night. As they were losing daylight, they found a path of snow with what they immediately knew were the boy's tracks.
"You could barely see the sole still but you could tell from the strides and his actions how he's just meandering through. Not a straight path, walking playfully in the snow," said Tingstad.
Unable to find Niemi Sunday night, Tingstad returned with a larger search & rescue group on Monday. Nearly 50 hours into their search, Niemi was found about 300 yards from his Saturday tracks.
Michigan State Police say Niemi purposely walked around during the day to create tracks when he realized people must be looking for him.
Eli Talsma, a close family friend and volunteer lunch monitor at Niemi's school carried him out of the woods.
"My heart just dropped and all the thoughts of whatever could have happened went away, and I was so happy to see him. First thing he did is he went to give me a fist bump, and we gave a fist bump, and we gave each other a big hug. And I said, 'Are you OK, is anything wrong?' He's like, 'No, I'm good. I'm just ready to go home,'" Talsma said.
Talsma says he can't wait to reunite with Nante when he returns to school this week.
"I can't wait until he's back there and I can give him one more big hug and see him again," he said.
Troopers from the Michigan State Police Wakefield Post took lead on the search for Niemi. At most recent count, MSP said more than 250 search and rescue personnel from 30 groups assisted with the search including K9s.