Police said that an eight-year-old boy who went missing for over a week had been found alive inside the sewer system near his home in northwestern Germany, according to NBC News.
The boy, who German police identified only as Joe, went missing on June 17, prompting a huge search operation by authorities. There was finally some good news after police in Oldenburg found the child under a manhole cover eight days after he disappeared. The boy's discovery happened following a tip from a member of the public who heard sounds from beneath the street.
Police issued a statement on Tuesday, June 28, saying that after evaluating all traces and clues, the officers now assume that Joe crawled through a drain into the rainwater sewer system on the day of his disappearance and lost his orientation after several meters.
The boy was severely dehydrated and hypothermic when found
According to German police, they have ruled out third-party negligence at this point. They added that the boy did not have any serious injuries but was severely hypothermic and dehydrated despite being completely undressed. Police said the boy lost his bearings in the system and could no longer find an exit.
After the boy climbed along the pipe for 23 meters (75 feet), police said the child followed the sewer system through a plastic pipe with a diameter of just 60 centimeters (23.6 inches). Some of Joe's clothes were found in this pipe.
The kid was able to move through sewer shafts and junctions to reach the area under the manhole cover where he was eventually found. Officers launched a homicide investigation at one point after receiving a tip that the young boy had been seen in the company of an unknown person, which later proved false.
According to CNN, Joe was found just 1,000 feet from his home address and was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was treated for dehydration and hypothermia. He remains in the hospital and has not yet been able to tell the police his full story in detail.
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Joe became disoriented inside the sewer system
An initial police report described the boy as having a learning disability. While the search for Joe was ongoing, they said he might misinterpret it as a game and continue hiding. In accordance with Germany's privacy laws, Joe's surname has not been made public.
Investigators started scanning the drainage system for clues about how he disappeared immediately. The authorities concluded that the boy most likely climbed into a concrete drainage pipe while playing. He crawled through a canal into the sewer system and got lost after several meters.
Joe told German police in an initial statement that he became increasingly disoriented while he got stuck in the sewers and could not find his way out. Police spokesman Stephan Klatte said they are so happy, labeling Joe's discovery as absolute luck, according to a report by ITV News.
