Missing Australian teenager found alive after six days in bush

Summarised from 8 outlets · 9 reports · Updated 13 Nov, 16:33 · Archive

A 17-year-old boy with autism was found alive on Thursday after six days missing in dense bushland near Walhalla East, Victoria.

William, 17, disappeared on Friday afternoon after leaving a campsite near Walhalla East, approximately 180km east of Melbourne in eastern Victoria, to retrieve further camping equipment. He was on his first camping trip with a friend and had left his phone at the campsite. When he failed to return, his friend searched the area and then ran to get help, managing to wave down the driver of a white utility vehicle.

Police launched a major search operation involving more than 100 people, police helicopters, divers, sniffer dogs and volunteers. Officers held grave fears for William, who has level two autism requiring substantial support, fearing he may have become disoriented in the treacherous terrain. A police helicopter spotted his fishing tackle box about 2km north-east of Stoney Creek on Wednesday morning during an aerial search.

William was found on Thursday morning near Stoney Creek, lying on a flat rock beside a creek in a dry riverbed. DW News reports that he had fallen down the side of the riverbed two days earlier and then remained there in hopes of being found. He was severely sunburnt and shirtless but otherwise in good health, wearing only shorts and work boots with towels covering him as blankets.

Video footage captured the moment William realised he was being rescued. Initially appearing fatigued and not reacting as the helicopter hovered overhead, he then waved at the aircraft and performed a fist pump in celebration as he recognised what was happening. Officers winched him to safety from his position and brought him to a command post to be reunited with his mother, Elizabeth.

William survived on fresh drinking water from the creek during his six days missing. Freezing overnight temperatures, reported as low as 3 degrees Celsius, had sparked significant concerns for his safety during the search. However, reports indicated that Southern Hemisphere spring weather had been relatively mild for the past week in the alpine region where he was lost, with little rain.

Elizabeth told reporters she had never lost hope of finding her son alive. 'I'm just over the moon he's alive,' she said. 'He just stayed in one spot and waited to be rescued.' She noted that William was in good spirits and perfect health. Joking about the incident, she added: 'He's never leaving the house again. He's grounded for life.'

Victoria Police Acting Inspector Jason Benbow said that discovering William alive was remarkable. 'It doesn't happen all the time,' he told reporters. 'I'm sure he's got a story to tell us soon, which we're very keen to hear.' William was taken to hospital for monitoring and a health check-up following his rescue.

How it is being reported

• Missing Australian boy found alive after 6 days in the wildernessA 17-year-old boy with autism was found alive by a helicopter crew after he spent six days lost in the Australian bush.CBS News · 13 Nov, 16:21
• Australia: Teen found alive after six days missing in bushA 17-year-old Australian has been found alive and well after spending six days missing in bushland east of Melbourne. After being spotted by helicopter, the teen was winched to safety before an emotional reunion with his mother who joked that “he’s never leaving the house again”.France 24 · 12 Nov, 15:17
• Missing teen is found alive after 6 days in the Australian woodlandsA 17-year-old boy with autism was found alive Thursday after six days lost in eastern Australian woodlands.New York Post · 12 Nov, 12:49
• Missing teenager found in bushland during aerial search in AustraliaA 17-year-old teenager has been found in dense bushland during an aerial search after being missing for six days.Al Jazeera · 12 Nov, 12:26
• Australian teen found alive after six days in the bushThe teenager was spotted during an aerial search, after spending days navigating rugged terrain. He had fallen down the side of a riverbed two days before being found.DW News · 12 Nov, 09:14
• Teen missing in Australian bushland for six days found alive while mum jokes ‘he’s grounded for life’William, 17, went camping with a friend 180km east of Melbourne in Australia (Picture: PR Handout) A 17-year-old boy has been found alive after spending six days lost in dense Australian bushland. William, whose surname has not been released, disappeared last Friday while camping with a friend in…Metro · 12 Nov, 08:55
• Incredible moment missing teen realises he's saved after six days lost in the rugged Australian wildernessThe 17-year-old, who has level two autism requiring 'substantial' support, was wearing only a pair of shorts and work boots when he wandered off from his campsite.Daily Mail · 12 Nov, 08:21
• Missing Australian teen found alive after six days lost in bushland: ‘He’s never leaving the house again’He disappeared on 6 November while camping with a friend near Walhalla EastIndependent World · 12 Nov, 05:37
• Miracle as missing Aussie teen is found alive six days after vanishing on a camping trip in Victoria's high countryA teenage boy who was missing for a week after going camping with a friend has been found alive.Daily Mail · 12 Nov, 01:14

In this story: William · Elizabeth · Walhalla East · Victoria · Melbourne · Victoria Police · Stoney Creek · Latrobe Valley

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log