Missing Michigan tubers survived off bark and flowers for 72 hours

We’re learning more about the rescue of three family members who went missing while tubing last week along the Muskegon River in Michigan. 

Missing tubers Muskegon River

The backstory:

The female adult cousins and one of their 9-year-old sons went tubing on the Muskegon River in the small community of Twin Lake on Tuesday, Aug. 4, and were reported missing after they didn’t come home and one of the women missed a dentist appointment. 

Search parties were scouring the area, as well as several boaters and drones from above. 

Missing tubers found

What happened:

A search and rescue team found the three family members on Friday ¾ of a mile in the woods from the river. They were found about 7 miles from where they entered the river. 

They said they had hit logs and their tubes popped, according to officials, and had been walking aimlessly. 

Video perspective:

Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources released bodycam footage of the moment the team came upon the family. 

A boy’s scream can be heard in the distance on body camera footage showing how rescue teams last week found the three people.

“Make some noise!” the rescuers keep shouting as they trudge through tall grass and weeds. 

“They’re just beyond that tree,” another rescuer observes. 

You can watch the full video in the video player above. 

Dig deeper:

The rescuers had tracked them from a tube next to the river, following footprints, broken twigs and bent grass.

The 9-year-old son, Kayden, can be heard explaining on video that they’d been eating bark and flowers, while his mom’s cousin says they had to drink river water.

One of the woman’s legs are almost entirely covered in deep, red cuts from scrapes after trudging through the brush. They have a broken phone and a single water bottle with only a few sips left.

What they’re saying:

Cameron Wright, a conservation officer from Newaygo County, said, “There was not even an inch of their exposed skin that was not just covered in cuts and bug bites and mud and scrapes where they were just physically not able to go any further.”

“I was just in disbelief at finding them because we were just running out of ideas and places to search and it was nothing short of a miracle that we ended up finding them the way we did,” Wright said.

The two women couldn’t walk, so the rescuers put them in Stokes baskets, a type of stretcher, to get them out of the brush, while Wright carried the boy on his back. 

Currently:

As of Tuesday, all three were back home. 

They had been taken to the hospital and treated for infections, dehydration and rashes, according to Lt. Pat Agema, a spokesperson for the Michigan State Police.