A "miracle" five-month-old baby survived being buried under sticks and debris in a forest for nine hours before being discovered by police in Montana.
The abandoned baby was found in a wet and soiled onesie in the woods but suffered only minor injuries, authorities said.
A man, who had been threatening people near Lolo National Forest on Saturday evening, indicated to police that a baby was buried somewhere in the woods.
Police combed the forest for six hours before a deputy heard the “faint cry of a baby” and followed the sound to the baby which was found alive , face down at about 2.30am on Sunday.
The Missoula County Sheriff’s Office arrested the man and have charged him with criminal endangerment. He is scheduled to appear in court today.
The Sheriff’s Office released a photograph of the child’s hand with dirt under its nails and said: “For all of us at the sheriff’s office, this is what we call a miracle.
“For the officers who were present for this event, it’s especially hard knowing what this small baby endured in the last 24 hours.
“He suffered some minor scrapes and bruising but overall is in good health.”
The baby was taken to a hospital. Custody of the child has been referred to the state Division of Child and Family Services.
Francis Crowley, 32, was being held on $50,000 bail on a charge of criminal endangerment.
Crowley is from Portland, Oregon, and was previously arrested in June in Missoula on a fugitive warrant. The nature of Crowley’s relationship to the baby was not immediately clear.
