Missing 75-year-old man found alive in Maine bog after 4 days

A missing 75-year-old man was found alive last week in a bog near a scenic overlook at Maine's Mount Blue State Park after four days, fish and wildlife officials said.

Michael Altmaier, of New Sharon, was on his way to a meeting in Weld last Monday — but he never showed up, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife said in a news release. The Maine Warden Service began searching for him Friday morning.

At around 3:45 p.m. Friday, Altmaier was found in a bog less than a mile away from Mount Blue State Park's scenic overlook, where his car was discovered later.

"It is believed Altmaier had fallen down over a ledged embankment Monday and likely became disoriented and ended up in the area of the bog that evening where he eventually had fallen and was unable to get up," the fish and wildlife department said.

First responders provided aid to Altmaier until a helicopter arrived around 6 p.m. to take him to an ambulance bound for a local hospital, where he was observed overnight.

Altmaier was in "surprisingly good condition" even though he had been lying in the bog for four days, emergency rescue personnel said. His condition is not known.

The Franklin County Sheriff’s Department and Maine Search and Rescue Dogs, among others, assisted the Maine Warden Service in the rescue mission.