Rescuers say a 90-year-old man has been found safe in a Maine forest after his family failed to find him.
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Rescuers say a 90-year-old man has been found safe but freezing in Maine after he got lost in the woods.
James Thomas left his home in Mexico, Maine, on Friday, October 7, to finding artifacts with his metal detector in Township E in Franklin County. He left a note with his family telling them where he was headed, the Maine Department of Conservation told WGME.
When Thomas did not return home Friday night, his family drove 260 miles from Mexico to Township E and began looking for him, WGME reported. Family members found Thomas’ truck in his camper, but noticed his ATV was missing.
Around 11 p.m., the family called 911, as well as the Maine State Patrol, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and Border Patrol. started searching, the Sun Journal reports. After several hours of searching, a warden found Thomas’ ATV several miles from where his truck was found.
With the help of a K9 named Storm, warden Chad Robertson found Thomas about a quarter mile from his ATV, the Sun Journal reported.
Officials say Thomas was safe when he was found, but without his winter coat. he was freezing, so handlers took him to one of their cars to warm up before sending him home, the Daily Bulldog reported. The temperature was 38 degrees when Thomas was found, according to the release.
Thomas told officials he was searching the woods for artifacts but couldn’t find his ATV when he decided to leave. He then decided to try to find his truck, but without a working flashlight, he got lost, the Daily Bulldog reported.
