DNR Officers Rescue 14-Year-Old

Michigan Department of Natural Resources officials are reporting the rescue of a 14-year-old boy in West Branch Township last week.

The boy was reported missing late Tuesday afternoon in West Branch Township. 

Conservation Officer John Kamps and probationary Conservation Officer Steve Sajtar were patrolling nearby and joined the search. They began following a set of footprints, and encountered a person who confirmed that a boy matching the description had passed by several hours earlier.

They continued to follow the footprints for more than a mile, past the end of Maplewood Road, through thigh-deep snow, into some swampland near Foster Creek.

They located the boy sitting on a snowbank, wearing only a shirt and pajama pants. He had fallen into the creek, removed his wet shoes and socks, and was using his coat to keep his feet warm.

Kamps and Sajtar helped the boy walk about 275 yards to Foster Creek Drive, where they were met by an ambulance. He was treated for exposure at UP Health System-Marquette.

The boy’s name is not being released because of his age.