Where was Nante Niemi found? Missing second grader lost in Michigan wilderness located alive

8-year-old Michigan boy Nante Niemi was found on Monday at 1:30 pm local time, after disappearing around 48 hours earlier. Nante reportedly went to collect firewood and was on a camping trip with his family when he went missing. Michigan State Police confirmed that the boy was found safely.

The child went missing on Saturday in the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Several search and rescue teams and volunteers were deployed to look for the 8-year-old Michigan boy.

According to authorities, Nante Niemi walked a trail until he reached a dead end, at which point he thought it would be best to just stop and wait for help. He reportedly used leaves and branches to cover himself for warmth and ate snow to stay hydrated.

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The young Michigan boy was found cuddled under a log two miles away from his family's campsite

A tragic incident took place on Saturday when an 8-year-old Michigan boy named Nante Niemi disappeared on a camping trip in the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Niemi went there with his family and was busy collecting firewood in the area when he got lost. Fortunately, volunteers found the 8-year-old boy safe and sound around 48 hours later.

On Saturday, when Nante did not return after he went off to collect wood, his family called the cops, and search parties were deployed in the area. Search parties consisting of over 150 people were launched by the local police and the Michigan State Police, to look for the missing boy, as per the Mirror. K-9 units and aviation were also deployed to search the area where the family was camping.

Finally, on Monday a volunteer spotted Niemi around two miles away from the camping area, cuddled under a log.

The Michigan State Police released a statement and as per BBC, they said:

“He had braved the elements by taking shelter under a log where he was ultimately found. He is in good health and reunited with his family.”

The MSP further addressed several queries regarding how the kid survived such rough conditions as the temperature in the area was in the 30s and 40s. Michigan State Police said:

“Lieutenant Wichstrom says the boy told them he covered up with branches and leaves for warmth and also blanketed the log he was under. He didn’t have any food but ate clean snow for hydration.”

A survival expert at the Boulder Outdoor Survival School, named Cat Bigney stated that leaves and branches can act as amazing insulators. He said:

“I’ve slept in big piles of leaves, and just kind of wiggles in the leaves in snowstorms, just to have that insulating effect holding in my core body temperature. Anything that’s going to create some dead air space to keep that heat in.”

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A volunteer who aided in the search for the 8-year-old boy stated that he was "perfectly fine"

As per ABC News, an 18-year-old volunteer named Eli Talsma, who helped in looking for the missing child, said:

“If you didn’t know he was in the woods for two days, you wouldn’t know. I mean, he was just normal. Nante was just walking around. He was talking. He was asking questions. He said he wasn’t hungry. He was perfectly fine, but we did give him a Cliff Bar and a banana and some water.”

When the boy was located, volunteers offered to carry him out of the woods, however, he mentioned that he wanted to walk. Niemi is a second-grade student from Hurley School District, who released a statement on Monday after he was found.

The statement read:

“Words can not describe the emotions and joy the students and staff are experiencing at this moment.”

Before Nante was found, the Hurley School District took to Facebook and mentioned they would send "2 buses of volunteers" to help in the search for the youngster.

The elementary school principal of the Hurley School District, Steve Lombardo announced that the entire K-12 building cheered when Nante was found and that they have been on edge since the boy went missing in the woods.

He said:

“The entire school lit up in cheers, and everybody was just relieved and thankful.”

When located on Monday at around 1 pm local time, the Michigan boy was overjoyed to be reunited with his family.