5-year-old boy goes missing in woods for 8 hours, later found unhurt

ACTON, Maine — Officials say a 5-year-old New Jersey boy who became separated from his family during a hike and went missing for nearly eight hours has been found unhurt in the woods in Maine.

Wardens say a volunteer rescuer and her dog found Christopher Grecco at around 2 a.m. Monday in Acton. Handler Dorothy Smail told WCSH-TV that the boy was on lying on the ground and playing dead because he thought her dog was a fox.

The boy was reunited with his family.

The search was launched Sunday evening after the boy became separated from a group of relatives hiking along a trail near the New Hampshire border. The group said he vanished around 6:30 p.m., and the family called the sheriff's office two hours later.

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