SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - An Idaho father was reunited with his 9-year-old son after conducting his own search for the boy, who went missing during a hike with extended family in Utah.
Summit County Sheriff Justin Martinez said the dad drove to Utah where his son, Stratton Joshua Wright, became separated from his uncle, cousins and siblings Wednesday around 8 p.m. during a hike near Bear Lake, KSL-TV reported.
Wright was found by his dad in an open field Thursday, authorities said. Wright was slightly dehydrated and tired, but otherwise healthy.
“I guess that’s a testament to a father-son bond, because he was able to find him faster than we were as the professionals,” Martinez said, adding that helicopters, trained search and rescue crews and horses had also been searching for him.
Once he realized he was lost, Wright found a safe place to spend the night about 5 miles (8 kilometers) from the trailhead and ended up in an open field where he decided to wait since he knew people would be looking for him, Martinez said.
“Just a remarkable young individual - he did everything right,” Martinez said. “He was self-aware and he knew what he needed to do to be found as quick as possible.”
Martinez urged parents to tell their children to stay put, find an open area and wait for rescue crews if they become separated from a group.
Wright told his father and authorities that he wanted to continue camping with his family for the rest of the weekend, but ultimately returned home with his father to be reunited with the rest of his family, authorities said.
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