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Navajo County town comes together to find missing man
Michael Johnson, an Arizona man with Parkinson's disease, went missing in the Heber-Overgaard area on Aug. 27. He was found alive three days later in critical condition. FOX 10's Taylor Wirtz has more on how the town rallied to find him.
NAVAJO COUNTY, Ariz. - An Arizona man with Parkinson's disease is recovering after surviving several days alone in the wilderness.
Michael Johnson. Photo courtesy of Christy Day
Timeline:
Michael Johnson, an avid hunter, was reported missing on Aug. 27 after he did not return home from a trip to the Heber-Overgaard area.
After his wife and a friend searched for him until 1 a.m. and couldn't find him, they contacted the sheriff's office. Over the next few days, three search and rescue teams from different counties and at least 100 community members joined the search.
On Saturday morning, three days later, hunters who were aware of the missing person case found the off-road vehicle Johnson had been driving. A helicopter crew then spotted him that afternoon.
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What they're saying:
A family friend, Christy Day, said the family feared the worst.
"I can't tell you the relief we all felt when they found the vehicle because he would not have lasted another day," she said. "When they found him, and he was breathing, our prayers were answered. He is a miracle. The lord had his hand in this."
Day says Johnson was "in a hurry to get home" when he got turned around and lost. She said many people who didn't even know Johnson came to help, including a "little old lady with a cane" who donated money for gas.
"That town of Heber-Overgaard truly came together for one purpose," Day said, adding that after two days of searching, friends and family began to fear for Johnson's health because he has Parkinson's disease and was without his medication.
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Arizona man survives days in the wilderness
An Arizona man is recovering after surviving several days in the wilderness. Michael Johnson, who has Parkinson's disease, went missing in the Heber-Overgaard area on Aug. 27 and was found 3 days later. FOX 10's Taylor Wirtz has the details.
Day recalled that when Johnson was found, he was unresponsive but breathing, covered in soot, and a mile from his vehicle.
"This really brought out the goodness in people," she said. "It was just overwhelming to our family that so many people would come and help."
While the ordeal worsened Johnson's Parkinson's disease, he is grateful to be alive, according to friends and family. It took a while for him to be able to speak again, but one of the first things he asked for was a Pepsi.
Map of the area where Johnson went missing from
What you can do:
Due to piling medical bills, friends have organized a GoFundMe to help.