Teen with Autism Found After Wandering During Family Hike

William Callaghan is carried after he was found during a two day search. Photo by REX FEATURES.

After his disappearance on June 8, 2020 from wandering during a family hike at Mount Disappointment in Victoria, Australia, 14-year-old William Callaghan has been found.

According to an article published on the Sun, Callaghan has autism and is nonverbal. 

Professor Robyn Young from Flinders University works with children on the spectrum and spoke to news.com.au about possible hardships Callaghan and the search team may have encountered.

“His autism meant he was at risk (of not being found) because he wasn’t responding by name and he was upset by helicopters flying overhead,” Young said in the article. “But at the same time there were a number of things that were protecting him.” 

More than 400 people searched for him and feared for his well-being since Mount Disappointment reached freezing temperatures while Callaghan was missing.

The search team played the theme song from Callaghan’s favorite TV show, “Thomas the Tank Engine,” over a PA system to lure him to safety, according to an article published on the Sun.

Callaghan is recovering in Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital with a suspected broken foot. His mother, Penny, said in an article on news.com.au that he asked for McDonald’s on the way to the hospital and ate four large fries with chicken nuggets.

“It was mind-boggling and overwhelming,” Penny said, “It’s been a massive journey.”