KAMAS, Utah -- An 11-year-old boy who vanished from a Boy Scout camp has been found alive after an intensive four-day search, an official said today.
Brennan Hawkins was found just before noon near Lily Lake, about five miles northeast of the camp in the Uinta Mountains where he was last seen Friday, said Kay Godfrey, director of public relations for the Great Salt Lake Council.
"He has been found, he is alive, and he's in pretty good shape for an 11-year-old boy," Godfrey told The Associated Press.
Calling the rescue "a modern-day miracle," Godfrey said a medical helicopter could not reach him where he was, so it was trying to find a nearby location to land. Authorities planned to take him to a hospital to be checked.
There was no immediate confirmation from the Summit County sheriff's office. Sheriff Dave Edmunds was believed to be at the lake, and was expected to hold a news conference later today.
Edmunds had said the boy would have been able to survive because the nights continue to be warm, with temperatures falling only into the 50s. The area is about 100 miles northeast of Salt Lake City.
But rescuers had feared that he could have fallen in a river that was swollen by heavy snow melt. The East Fork of the Bear River is within 100 yards of the road where the boy was believed to have been walking.
Deep-water rescue teams had searched the river while other rescuers and volunteers combed the rugged area around it.
On Monday, rescuers found three socks and a sandal in the river, but none belonged to Brennan. The boys' parents also sifted fruitlessly through enough clothing collected from the mountains to fill the bed of a pickup.
Brennan carried no food or water, and his family had said he did not have a good sense of direction.
Among the volunteers was Kevin Bardsley, whose 12-year-old son, Garrett, vanished last August while camping at a nearby lake. He was never found despite a weeklong search.
"When we came off this mountain in the winter, my friends and I decided right then, if anyone came missing, we'd be there immediately," said Bardsley.
Associated Press
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