PARADISE, Mich. (WZMQ) – A Chippewa County man was found Saturday evening after his friends reported him missing two days prior.
On Thursday, March 7, Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office deputies were dispatched to a remote area near Paradise for a missing persons complaint. A man found his friend’s vehicle stuck in the snow in the middle of a trail, but his friend was nowhere to be found.
The man said the last time his friend, described as a 69 year old who walked with a cane, was seen was on Tuesday, March 5.
Sheriff’s deputies, the Michigan DNR, and USBP searched the area on foot and ORVs, and the sheriff’s office used a drone to search to area. They were unable to locate the man before dark.
As the search continued, law enforcement received additional information that the missing man had a pull-behind sled with him, along with camping gear, snowshoes, and a sleeping bag. There were several structures in the area that he had access to if he wanted to use them. The sheriff’s office says every shelter and camping spot were searched with no evidence of the missing man.
His friends and family told law enforcement that he has spent a lot of time living off the grid in the past; however, they said his prior actions, the fact that he left his vehicle, and he didn’t tell anyone what he was doing, had caused them to be concerned for his safety. Deputies say they were told that if the man didn’t want to be found, they wouldn’t find him.
The sheriff’s office, search and rescue crews, Bay Mills Police, and a Sault Tribe PD K-9 unit spent the next day searching over 1,100 acres of the property that he was believed to be headed toward.
On Saturday, March 9, an off-duty police officer came upon the missing man walking down a trail not far from the search area.
The man was reportedly cold, hungry, and having a hard time walking– and was surprised to hear he was reported missing and that people were looking for him. He was given a ride to a restaurant in Paradise for a hot meal, where sheriff’s deputies met up with him.
The man said he spent the previous two nights sleeping in the woods.
Deputies found a place for him to stay for the night, and his family was informed that he was found safe.
The sheriff’s office thanks all involved for assisting with the search for the man.
