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Boy Missing For Eight Days In Germany Found Alive In Sewer

June 29, 2022

An 8-year-old boy who had been missing for more than a week has been found alive in a sewer.

Photo: AP

Joe, who lives in Oldenburg in northwest Germany, disappeared on June 17 from his front yard, officials said.

Following a tip from a passerby who heard sounds coming from beneath the road, police finally found Joe under a manhole cover eight days after he disappeared.

He was found "completely undressed" and treated at the hospital for hypothermia, but suffered no major injuries. His father told local reporters he was "doing well" given the circumstances.

Officers are now investigating how the child ended up in the sewer system.

"After evaluating all traces and clues, the officers now assume that Joe crawled through a drain into the rainwater sewer system on the day of his disappearance and lost his orientation after several meters," police said in a statement released Tuesday.

"The police have ruled out third-party negligence at this point in time."

As for Joe, he remains in the hospital and is receiving treatment but hasn't yet been able to tell the police his full story in detail.