Teen with autism rescued after six days lost in Australian woods

A 17-year-old boy with autism was rescued Thursday after being missing for six days in eastern Australian woodlands near the former gold-mining town of Walhalla, 185 kilometres east of Melbourne, police said. The teenager, identified only as William, had gone camping with a friend on Friday and failed to return to the campsite. He was later located by a police helicopter crew, lying asleep on a flat rock beside a creek, wearing only shorts, boots and towels used as blankets. He was airlifted to safety, reunited with his mother and taken to hospital for monitoring.

"I’m just over the moon that he’s alive," his mother, Elizabeth, told reporters, adding that he would not be allowed to leave the house again.

Acting Police Inspector Jason Benbow said William had trekked across steep terrain for several days before becoming trapped near the creek, about two kilometres from his original campsite. The rescue operation involved more than 100 emergency-service personnel and volunteers.

William’s family noted that he has Level 2 autism, which requires substantial support and reliance on routine, according to the advocacy group Autism360.