Autistic teen found after days missing in cold on Mount Disappointment - The Age

The volunteer was by himself when he found Will standing up in the bush. He gave the young teenager something to eat and kept him warm while they waited for other searchers to arrive to help take Will back to camp.

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Acting Inspector Christine Lalor said it was "great news" and they would be providing more information later today.

Almost 500 people in teams from the police force, SES and CFA have searched for Will around the clock since Monday.

Many concerned members of the public donated their time to join the effort and police were forced to turn some volunteers away.

The mood changed at the search site about 12.30pm as word filtered through that there had been a potential sighting of Will in the bush.

At 12.46pm, Inspector Lalor confirmed the boy was Will.

Huge grins crossed the faces of volunteers and searchers when she announced the incredible news, as friends of the family began crying tears of relief.

Police had asked the hundreds of people waiting at the search site to be quiet and not to cheer or clap in case it spooked Will. Paramedics are on standby.

The teenager, who is non-verbal and taps his chest to communicate, went missing on Monday afternoon when his family lost sight of him. On Monday night, temperatures dipped toward zero degrees. On Tuesday night, the mercury dropped below 5 degrees.

On Wednesday morning, his mother, Penny Callaghan described her son as a beautiful, gentle and resilient boy, and spoke of her desperate hope that he would be found safe.

"We are desperately hoping he will be found today," she had told reporters.

"Sometimes being the mother of an autistic child is really tough. I have two boys with autism, Will is my oldest son and he would be considered very low functioning. He has an intellectual disability," she said.

Penny Callaghan addressed the media with her partner Nathan Ezard.Credit:Justin McManus

"He is very smart in his own way, I’m feeling positive as he is quite resilient. He is very skinny... but he eats all the time, he’s always on the move so he’s very fit.

"He’s such a beautiful person, he wouldn’t harm a fly he is very gentle."

SES volunteers searching thick bushland for William Callaghan on Tuesday.Credit:Chris Hopkins

It was a unique search for the teenager, who had never spent a night outside by himself or been camping.

Will is a fan of Thomas the Tank Engine, so three speakers moved around the area playing the Thomas theme tune, in an effort to draw him out.

Police encouraged people in the area to cook a barbecue, if possible, as Will loves the smell of onions and bacon. He's interested in water bottles, so police also asked people to put water on their verandah or porch. And they urged locals to open any windows and doors if they were cooking, in the hope Will would smell the food.

The police search base near Blair's Hut.Credit:Chris Hopkins

Authorities knocked on the doors of residents from towns and suburbs near the summit of Mount Disappointment to see if Will sought refuge in a bed or outhouse.

Searchers on foot, motorbikes and on horseback called out "Will" as they made their way through vegetation so thick that made it difficult for air units to search from above.

More to come.

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https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMihwFodHRwczovL3d3dy50aGVhZ2UuY29tLmF1L25hdGlvbmFsL3ZpY3RvcmlhL2F1dGlzdGljLXRlZW4tZm91bmQtYWZ0ZXItZGF5cy1taXNzaW5nLWluLWNvbGQtb24tbW91bnQtZGlzYXBwb2ludG1lbnQtMjAyMDA2MTAtcDU1MTUzLmh0bWzSAYcBaHR0cHM6Ly9hbXAudGhlYWdlLmNvbS5hdS9uYXRpb25hbC92aWN0b3JpYS9hdXRpc3RpYy10ZWVuLWZvdW5kLWFmdGVyLWRheXMtbWlzc2luZy1pbi1jb2xkLW9uLW1vdW50LWRpc2FwcG9pbnRtZW50LTIwMjAwNjEwLXA1NTE1My5odG1s?oc=5

2020-06-10 03:27:46Z
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