A Missing Teen Who Couldn't Speak Survived Hours In The Wild & Used Rocks To Call For Help
He even gave the police a fist bump!
A non-verbal teen with a disability found a creative way to signal sheriff's deputies for help, after getting lost in the woods for hours near Los Angeles.
Unable to shout for help, he instead grabbed some rocks and banged them together to guide search-and-rescue crews to his location, authorities told NBC Los Angeles.
Police say the 16-year-old went missing during a family hike with his mom and sister in Crescenta Valley Park outside L.A. on Sunday. He apparently ran into the forest and quickly became lost.
After six hours of searching the forest grounds, Los Angeles Country Sheriff's Department officers heard an odd clacking sound and followed it to the boy's location in a canyon.
During a press conference about the case, Montrose Search and Rescue Deputy Steve Goldsworthy said they located the teen "sitting under an oak tree," reported NBC News.
"Several hours into the search, a Montrose team member heard what sounded like the clinking of rocks together. Remembering that the missing person had an interest in playing with rocks, he investigated further," said a Facebook post by the LASD.
"Their efforts revealed the missing person."
When they finally reached the disabled teen, they realized the situation was more sensitive than expected and had to spend some time gaining his trust before rescuing him and reuniting him with his family.
"He will go out of his way to kick a rock, pick up a rock, throw a rock," said Goldsworthy. "Those were, like, his favourite things, so I picked up the rock and threw it down the gully, and he looked at me, and he ended up giving me a fist bump."
Paramedics and his family met him once he was out of the woods.
"Our Department was thrilled this incident had a happy ending," the post read.
