Missing 17-year-old found alive after 6 days lost in Australian woodlands

Posted November 12, 2026 1:35 pm

2 min read

A 17-year-old who went missing on a camping trip was found alive Thursday after six days lost in eastern Australian woodlands.

The boy, who police identified only as William, was camping with a teenage friend when he disappeared last Friday east of Melbourne, Victoria Police said in a news release.

William was dropped off by his mother for the purposes of camping for the weekend when he walked a short distance to the drop-off location to retrieve further camping equipment, police said.

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When William failed to return shortly after, his friend searched the area but found no trace of him, according to police.

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“An extensive search of the area was conducted by Victoria Police uniform officers, specialist units and other agencies over the past six days,” police said.

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A police helicopter crew found William lying asleep on a flat rock beside a creek, wearing shorts and boots and using towels as blankets.

Police said that he was in good spirits and mostly in good health.

William was later taken to a hospital for his health to be monitored, 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 surrounds two kilometres from the his camp site, 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.

William’s mother told The Associated Press that she’s “over the moon that he’s alive.”

“And he’s never leaving the house again. He’s grounded for life. He’s not going anywhere ever again,” Elizabeth joked.

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William’s family said he has Level 2 autism. That requires “substantial support,” according to Autism Speaks.

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Someone with Level 2 autism may have deficits in verbal and nonverbal social communication skills, social impairments apparent even with supports in place, limited initiation of social interactions, reduced or abnormal responses to social overtures from others, according to the organization.

The organization says that a person with Level 2 autism may also experience inflexibility of behaviour, difficulty coping with change, or other restricted/repetitive behaviours appear frequently enough to be obvious to the casual observer and interfere with functioning in a variety of contexts.

—With files from The Associated Press

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