Autistic Teen Found Alive After Spending 6 Days Alone Wandering the Australian Wilderness
Six days after a 17-year-old boy with autism went missing in the wilds of Australia, he was found alive.
The boy, identified only as William, had been camping with a friend when he disappeared on Nov. 6 in the rugged hills of eastern Australia, according to CBS News.
Police searchers in a helicopter “spotted a tacklebox in bushland around 2km east from Stoney Creek,” Victoria Police wrote in a news release. “Zooming in on the tacklebox, they found William laying down close by in a creek.”
“Flight officers winched down and retrieved Will before bringing him back to the command post to reunite with his mum. Amazingly, William is in good spirits and for the most part, in good health,” the release said.
Police noted that more than 100 people were involved in the search for William before Thursday’s rescue.
The teen was taken to a hospital for a checkup after being rescued.
Video posted to X showed William greeting his rescuers as they hovered above him.
Police Air Wing has captured the incredible moment missing 17-year-old William was found after six days lost in dense bushland.
Full details tonight in #9News at 6pm and on 9Now. https://t.co/V4okFmVzCC
— 9News Melbourne (@9NewsMelb) November 12, 2026
“I’m just over the moon that he’s alive,” his mother, Elizabeth, said, according to CBS News.
“And he’s never leaving the house again. He’s grounded for life. He’s not going anywhere ever again,” she said as a joke.
After becoming lost, William walked through “some very steep terrain,” acting Police Inspector Jason Benbow said.
After 6 days missing boy William has been located by Victoria Police safe and well and he’s currently in hospital for monitoring. https://t.co/usCXoP6Fif
— Peak Hour Images (@PeakHourImages) November 12, 2026
He spent his final two days in the wild at the creek where steep ground kept him from going further, Benbow said.
“He woke up to the sound of the helicopter, gave them a thumbs up and they winched him to safety,” Benbow said.
William’s family said he has Level 2 autism.
His mother said she “knew in my heart he was still alive,” according to the Independent.
“I could feel it. I knew he wasn’t gone. Thank God he’s such [a] fit person,” she said.
“You see these stories on TV and you don’t think it can happen to you, but when you do and you find them alive, it’s just … I can’t describe the words. I’m so happy, I can’t speak properly,” she said.
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