Man Who Went Missing In Croatan National Forest Emerges Alive On Eighth Day

A North Carolina man, who went missing in Croatan National Forest, walked out of the woods on the eighth day and is said to be in the pink of health.

The Carteret County Sheriff’s Office said Joshua Kenneth Clauson, 20, was spotted by a citizen Sunday morning. He was taken to a nearby hospital where his condition is listed as stable, reports ABC 11.

Clauson went missing on May 29 while taking a walk in the forest with a family member. A search was immediately launched for him, which saw a participation of over 200 people as well as K9 officers.

For the next six days, the Carteret County Sheriff’s Office and Emergency Services deployed search teams in the air and on the ground. The team combed the forests but the search was called off Thursday after all leads were exhausted.

Carteret County Sheriff Asa Buck had then asked the general public to call off search operations as they could get themselves lost. Calling it a bizarre case, Buck said it's not uncommon for people to go missing in the woods, but a search so long as was uncommon.

"Since I've been sheriff, this is the longest one that has gone on this long and had to utilize this amount of resources.," Buck was then quoted by ABC-affiliate WCTI. “(Aerial) searches were severely limited due to the thick canopy making it impossible to see the ground throughout most of the area,” he had mentioned in a release.

However, two days later, a citizen contacted Carteret County Communications to report "a man walking out of a wooded area near his residence on Rams Horn Road in Newport."

Clauson was then taken to Carteret Health Care in Morehead City. Detectives, who arrived at the hospital, confirmed his identity.

The sheriff’s office also thanked those who helped in the search and rescue operations. More details will be released as they become available.

Last month, a Utah woman was rescued after she was found living in a remote canyon of Utah, surviving just on grass and moss. She also had access to water from a nearby river. The woman who was missing for five months was there by choice and "looked weak" having lost a significant amount of weight.