Good News Friday: Teen with autism found alive after six days lost in the Australian bush

After a week of hard news, here's one that ends the way every parent hopes. A 17-year-old boy who went missing in the Australian bush was found alive after six days, sunburned, tired, and, in the words of police, "in good spirits." His mother says she's "over the moon."

What happened

The teenager, identified by police only as William, is from the Latrobe Valley area of Victoria, in southeastern Australia. His family says he has Level 2 autism, which means he needs substantial support in daily life, according to the Associated Press.

On Friday, November 6, his mother, Elizabeth, dropped William and a teenage friend off for a weekend of camping near Walhalla, an old gold-mining town about 115 miles (185 kilometers) east of Melbourne, in the hilly Gippsland region. A family friend told Australia's 7NEWS it was his first camping trip, and probably the first time he had been away from his mother.

That afternoon, William walked back from the campsite to the drop-off spot to pick up more gear. He never came back to his friend. He was last seen around 4 p.m. near Stoney Creek Road, between Cowwarr and Walhalla, according to Yahoo News, citing police and AP. He had no food, no water and no phone, and he was wearing work boots and shorts.

Six days in the bush

More than 100 police, emergency workers and volunteers searched the steep, forested country, according to AP. As the days went by, the odds got harder. But a few things went William's way. The weather had been mild for spring in the alpine region, with little rain, AP reported. And he kept moving.

Acting Police Inspector Jason Benbow said William spent days climbing up and down "very steep terrain" after he got lost. For his last two days, the ground around him was so steep that he was stuck at a creek about a mile and a quarter (2 kilometers) from the campsite. Being next to water likely helped.

The rescue

On Thursday, November 12, a police helicopter crew searching from the air spotted a tackle box in the bush about 2 kilometers east of Stoney Creek. The crew zoomed in with their camera and found William asleep on a flat rock beside a creek, according to AP and Yahoo News.

He woke up to the sound of the helicopter and gave the crew a thumbs-up, Benbow said. Video from the helicopter showed him shirtless and sunburned, wearing shorts and boots, and using towels as blankets. The crew winched him up to safety and flew him back to the search command center, where his mother was waiting. He was taken to the hospital to be checked.

"Amazingly, William is in good spirits and for the most part, in good health," police said in a statement.

A mother's relief

His mother put it the way any parent would. She told reporters she is "just over the moon that he's alive." Then she added, with what sounds like a laugh through a very long week: "And he's never leaving the house again. He's grounded for life. He's not going anywhere ever again."

We'll guess the grounding won't last forever. But we understand the feeling.

Why this one matters

It's easy to forget how many people show up when someone goes missing. Police officers, specialist rescue units, helicopter crews and volunteers spent six days searching rough country for one boy they had never met. Some of them were out there on the sixth day, when a lot of people would have started to lose hope. That's what found him: people who kept looking.

It's also a reminder that young people with autism can be tougher than we think. William was alone, in unfamiliar terrain, with nothing to eat, and he made it through. He ended up beside water, he stayed put when the terrain trapped him, and he gave the crew a thumbs-up when they came. That's a good outcome by any standard.

What it means for you

Most of us won't get lost in the Australian bush. But the same common-sense rules apply on any hike, hunting trip or camping weekend here at home, especially as the days get shorter and colder:

• Tell someone exactly where you're going and when you'll be back, and stick to the plan.
• Carry water, a snack and a charged phone, even for a short walk away from camp. William had none of these when he went to fetch gear.
• Stay together. Most trouble starts when someone goes off alone "just for a minute."
• If you're lost, stop. Rescue services generally advise staying in one place, ideally somewhere open, so searchers on the ground and in the air can find you.
• If someone in your family needs extra support, make sure everyone on the trip knows it, and keep them within sight.

And if a search ever starts in your area, the volunteers who turn out make a real difference. This week, they helped bring a boy home to his mom.