The boy, originally from Wisconsin, was camping with his parents in Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. He disappeared while he was walking in the woods with his family looking for wood.
To warm himself he took refuge inside the cavity of a trunk and covered himself with leaves and branches. He had no food with him but kept himself hydrated by eating snow. The child was found two days later about three and a half kilometers away from the campsite. Despite his age, he thought that instead of wandering empty and moving further away it would be better to stop and take cover.