‘Hungry, thirsty and cold’: 4-year-old survives two nights alone in Montana woods

LINCOLN COUNTY, Mont. — A little boy is back home with his family after spending two nights alone in the woods of northwestern Montana.

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Ryker Webb had been playing with his dog in the Bull Lake area of Kootenai National Forest, Fox News reported.

The Missoulian reported that a concerned neighbor called 911. When law enforcement and search and rescue teams arrived, they discovered the 4-year-old boy had been missing for more than two hours.

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office lead a search using crews on the ground using ATVs, and a boat crew was deployed on Bear Lake, Fox News reported.

Helicopters and drones were also used, but the search from the sky was limited by “very poor weather conditions which consisted of rain, low visibility, and a low ceiling,” NBC News reported.

Dense vegetation hampered ground crews’ efforts, the sheriff’s office said.

Temperatures fell to the low 40s on Saturday, with about a quarter-inch of rain falling, NBC News reported.

Ryker was eventually found just under 2 1/2 miles from where he went missing Sunday.

The sheriff’s office said Ryker “was in good spirits and apparently healthy, although hungry, thirsty, and cold,” NBC News reported.

Ryker was taken to a hospital to be checked out, Fox News reported.

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