Mother and son found 10 days after going missing in Hunter Valley bushland
A mother and son have been found alive 10 days after they went missing in bushland in the Hunter Valley.
Police have described it as an extraordinary story of survival after the mother and her boy set off for a bush walk on October 2.
Michelle Pittman, 40, and her 10-year-old son Dylan entered the Mount Royal National Park east of Singleton and became disorientated.
Their family reported them missing two days later after they didn't return.
Police located their car three days ago and launched a full-scale search of the area with the help of SES volunteers, NSW Ambulance and National Parks and Wildlife.
On Thursday, just after midday, the mother and son made their way onto a roadway and were picked up by passing police.
"It is absolutely extraordinary, an incredible story," Inspector Joanne Schultz from Singleton Police said.
"Ten days out in the bush, it's very remote area, very rugged."
The pair only had water with them, and when that ran out they relied on water from natural resources, using leaves to collect water and tying grass around trees to mark their location.
After days without food, delirium had set in. The pair were found barefoot with vines wrapped around their legs and feet.
Not only were they battling heat, thirst and hunger, they were battling the terrain – thick, dense bushland which made finding them a lot harder.
"To have survived that time, in my 24 years of doing this I don't think I've ever known of anything like this," NSW Ambulance officer Andrew Steenson said.
Michelle and Dylan are now recovering at Singleton Hospital where they are being treated for dehydration, scratches and insect bites.
