A three-year-old boy who was missing for three days in the Australian wilderness was found unharmed less than a mile from his rural home in New South Wales. Anthony "AJ" Elfalak was reported missing on Friday (September 3) after he wandered away from his parents' property.
A massive search effort was launched, with hundreds of volunteers joining numerous police agencies to scour the wilderness to locate AJ, who is autistic. On Monday morning, a pilot with the Police Aviation Support Branch spotted the boy sitting in a creek just 550 yards from his home.
The pilot directed an officer on the ground to AJ's location. He was drinking water from a puddle when he was found and had "a massive smile on his face" when the officer approached. AJ was in good condition and taken to the hospital for observation.
"It's a miracle. He has been bitten by ants, and he has fallen over, but he is alive. He is alive. It's amazing. My leg, my hips, my ankles, I can't walk. I have been in the bush for four days with no sleep. We didn't stop," the boy's father, Anthony Elfalak, told The Guardian.
Officials said it was "remarkable" that the boy was relatively unharmed after spending three nights in the wilderness, where the temperature dipped into the lower 40s.
A local news station captured the jubilant moment that his family returned home after learning that AJ had been found.