Teen who has autism found alive after missing for nearly a week in the Australian woodlands

Teen who has autism found alive after missing for nearly a week in the Australian woodlands Advertisement Updated: 2:34 PM CST Nov 12, 2026 Editorial Standards ⓘ By ROD McGUIRK, Associated Press Teen who has autism found alive after missing for nearly a week in the Australian woodlands Updated: 2:34 PM CST Nov 12, 2026 Editorial Standards ⓘ By ROD McGUIRK, Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia — A 17-year-old boy with autism was found alive Thursday after six days lost in eastern Australian woodlands. The boy, whom police identified only as William, had begun camping with a teenage friend when he disappeared last Friday near Walhalla, a former gold-mining town 115 miles east of Melbourne, police said. Advertisement A police helicopter crew found him surrounded by wilderness, lying asleep on a flat rock beside a creek, and he was later reunited with his mother. William was in good spirits and mostly in good health, the police statement said. Video shot from the rescue helicopter showed he was shirtless and sunburned. He was wearing shorts and boots and was using towels as blankets. "I'm just over the moon that he's alive," his mother, Elizabeth, told reporters. The AP has decided not to provide her family name to avoid identifying her son. "And he's never leaving the house again. He's grounded for life. He's not going anywhere ever again," she joked. William was later taken to a hospital for his health to be monitored, police said. AP Victoria Police via AP In this image made from video and provided by the Victoria State Police, 17-year-old William, center right, is embraced by his mother Elizabeth, only first names were provided by police, while in a helicopter in Cowwarr, Australia, Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026, after William spent six days lost in eastern Australian woodlands. William's family have said he has Level 2 autism. That requires "substantial support," according to the Australian advocacy group Autism360. Such a person may have marked deficits in verbal and non-verbal social communication and rely heavily on routines and predictable activities. Disruption can cause significant distress. The Southern Hemisphere spring weather had been mild for the past week in the alpine region where William was lost, and there had been little rain. Elizabeth had dropped off her son and his friend last Friday for a weekend of camping. William walked a short distance from the campsite to the drop-off location to collect more camping equipment but never returned to his friend, police said. After becoming lost, William trekked for days up and down "some very steep terrain," Acting Police Inspector Jason Benbow said. He spent the last two days where he was found at the creek, trapped by the steepness of his surroundings 1.2 miles from his campsite, Benbow said. "He woke up to the sound of the helicopter, gave them a thumbs up, and they winched him to safety," Benbow told reporters. The extensive police search for him involved more than 100 emergency services personnel and volunteers. Father of boy who survived being buried alive charged with attempted murder in South Carolina Make WISN a preferred source on Google Add Preferred Source Share Infinite Scroll Enabled Top Picks Teen who has autism found alive after missing for nearly a week in the Australian woodlands Microsoft confirms Outlook outage affecting users worldwide Father of baby found buried alive in South Carolina denied bond Nvidia stock falls following CEO resignation