A teenager with Down syndrome who went missing for nearly 72 hours in a wooded area of Lanadier was able to hug his loved ones again after being found safe and sound on Monday.
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“We would have won 6/49, Lotto Max, 10 million, whatever, we wouldn’t have been happy”, explains Olivier Benoit’s mother-in-law Nadia Girard, at a loss for words.
Photo courtesy of the Twitter account @Elizabeth Laplante
Oliver Benoit was smiling when rescue workers found him in the middle of the woods on Monday.
In a particularly touching moment, the 21-year-old was reunited with her loved ones on Monday.
Surrounded by rescuers, he got out of a utility vehicle to hug his mother, who had rushed back from Florida, and then his father, who was on crutches.
Screenshot, TVA Nouvelles
A 21-year-old hugs his father after leaving the forest without a sweater because of the heat.
“We were convinced that there was practically no hope of finding him alive or almost, says Nadia Girard. We are blessed, it’s a miracle. »
Oliver accidentally got lost near Lac Croche in Saint-Donat on Friday while he was with his pug dog Lollipop and his babysitter.
Since then, the Sûreté du Québec and dozens of volunteers have searched the area to find him. In this race against time, the police force deploys a command post, helicopter and dog handlers.
Distraught, Oliver’s loved ones couldn’t sleep.
“He doesn’t like the dark, and when he’s scared, he screams a lot, a lot, Olivier. So I was worried,” his mother, Talin, told TVA Nouvelles.
Three days and three nights after his disappearance, the field survey finally bore fruit.
Screenshot, TVA Nouvelles
At the emotional sight of his father, on crutches, Oliver hugged his mother.
A wolf howl was heard
Thanks to Oliver’s wolf cry, the volunteers were able to find him and gradually approach him.
He then mentions Nicholas Scholdus, the door word for SQ, on the border between Saint-Donat and Notre-Dame-de-la-Merci, as the crow flies, 3.8 km from where he got lost.
“We met a wonderful person,” says team leader Jean-Marc Detreault-Renaud, who was the first to visit Oliver. “He was obviously happy to see other people. »
No concept of time
A granola bar, sandwich and sugar water quickly put a smile on Oliver’s face. He is also in good health, but after these long hours he was rushed to the hospital as a precaution.
“The weather was in our favor. The nights were cool, and the days were better than at other times of the year, they were not mild,” points out Mr. Detreault-Renaud.
Another potential advantage for Oliver: He has no concept of time due to Down syndrome. “Sometimes he says ‘I slept in the forest, I was looking for my dog,'” reports Nadia Girard. According to him, there was nothing there. Almost nothing happened. »
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