Maine artifact hunter rescued after spending a cold night in the woods

By Adam Bartow

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    FRANKLIN COUNTY, Maine (WMTW) — A man from the town of Mexico was found safely early Saturday morning after getting lost while looking for artifacts.

Game Wardens say the 90-year-old man left a note for his family on Friday saying he was headed to Township E in Franklin County to look for artifacts around old cellar holes and settlements.

When he did not return home that night, family members found his truck at his camp, but his ATV was missing. After searching themselves, family members called for help just after 11 p.m. Friday. The Maine Warden Service, Franklin County Sheriff’s office and Border Patrol began searching the area.

At approximately 2:30 a.m. on Saturday, Game Warden Alex Maxsimic located the man’s ATV parked in some bushes beside a logging road several miles from the camp where the truck was parked. Another Game Warden then deployed his K9, Storm, and found the man at 3:15 a.m., about a quarter mile from there.

The man was not hurt but was very cold, as he did not have winter clothing on. He told wardens he had spent some time searching for objects in the area with his metal detector but was unable to find his ATV when he tried to get back to his truck. He then tried to walk to his truck, but didn’t have a working flashlight and got lost in the woods.

The temperature was only 38 degrees Fahrenheit at the time, and it was very windy. Game wardens warmed him up in a patrol truck and took him back to his family.

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