Expand / Collapse search
Watch TV
Menu

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2024 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper.

Germany

German 8-year-old boy found in sewer system a week after disappearing

The 8-year-old German boy was found after a resident heard his calls for help from under a manhole

Paul Best By Paul Best Fox News
Published
close
Fox News Flash top headlines for June 29 Video

Fox News Flash top headlines for June 29

Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com.

An 8-year-old boy who was missing in the northwest Germany city of Oldenburg for over a week was found in the city's sewer system about a 1,000 feet from his family's home on Saturday. 

A resident heard noises coming from under a manhole cover around 6:30 a.m. and alerted police. 

The little boy, who police have called Joe, was "completely undressed when he was found" and "did not have any serious external injuries, but was severely hypothermic and dehydrated."

  • German boy missing
    Image 1 of 2

    Police officers examine a storm drain after an 8-year-old boy from Oldenburg, Germany, went missing. (Andre van Elten/picture alliance via Getty Images)

  • Germany boy missing Joe
    Image 2 of 2

    A police emergency vehicle stands next to a storm drain in the Donnerschwee district of Oldenburg, where the missing boy Joe was found alive.  (Andre van Elten/picture alliance via Getty Images)

"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 there after several meters," Oldenburg police said Tuesday in a news release. 

MISSING NORTH CAROLINA MAN’S BOAT FOUND IN ISLANDS NEAR PORTUGAL 

Law enforcement believes that Joe climbed through a drain pipe that was about three feet wide while playing on June 17 and got lost in the underground system. 

Search parties had scoured the surrounding area for days, including by sending a robot equipped with a camera into the sewer system. 

  • Robot searching for Germany boy
    Image 1 of 2

    Marc Meyerholz prepares a robot for use in search of a missing 8-year-old boy.  (Martin Remmers/picture alliance via Getty Images)

  • Robot searching for German boy
    Image 2 of 2

    The movement of a robot through the sewer system can be seen on a monitor.  (Martin Remmers/picture alliance via Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

"I am very impressed by the great commitment of the past few days. I would like to thank all the main and volunteer forces and people who have done everything with empathy and a high personal effort - until late at night - to find a missing child. Everyone can be proud," Oldenbrug Police President Johann Kühme said Saturday. 

Police have ruled out any foul play in the incident. 

Paul Best is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Story tips and ideas can be sent to Paul.Best@fox.com and on Twitter: @KincaidBest.