DNR officers find missing Michigan teen after following footprints through frozen swamp
(CBS DETROIT) - A missing teenage boy was found after Michigan Department of Transportation conservation officers followed footprints through a frozen lake in Marquette County.
At about 4:25 p.m. on Tuesday, March 21, officials received reports of a 14-year-old boy who had run away from his home along Marquette County Road, 545 North, in West Branch Township.
Two officers were patrolling in the area and quickly began searching for the boy.
They discovered footprints and began to follow them south of County Road 545 North and Maplewood Road.
DNR officials say the officers followed them for about 650 yards when they saw someone walking. This person told them a boy matching their description had walked east on Maplewood Road three hours earlier.
They followed the footprints for over a mile until the road came to a dead end. Then, they continued following the footprints in the swampland near Foster Creek, where snow was thigh-deep on the officers.
"With below freezing temperatures and only a couple hours of daylight left, time was of the essence," Officer Steve Sajtar said. "We knew the boy was likely cold and wet from the swamp."
According to DNR officials, the officers located the boy at about 6:10 p.m. They found him sitting on a snowbank wearing a shirt and pajama pants.
He told officers he was freezing and that he removed his shoes and socks because he had fallen into the creek, so he wrapped his jacket around them to try and stay warm.
They noted the boy had lost pigmentation and numbness in his feet, but the officers gave him a pair of gloves to put on his feet and helped him put his shoes back on so they could hike back.
After about 275 yards, an ambulence arrived along Foster Creek Drive, west of U.S. Highway 41.
The 14-year-old was transported to a local hospital to be treated for cold exposure.
According to the DNR, the boy's name is not being released because he is a minor.