Miracle! Brennan found alive and well

EAST FORK OF THE BEAR RIVER — Brennan Hawkins woke up this morning in a warm bed, a TV remote at his fingertips, and all the food and water he could ever want.

That's quite a change from four nights alone in the forest.

Endless nights of worry and doubt finally ended shortly before noon Tuesday when a volunteer searcher found the lost 11-year-old on a remote trail in the High Uintas.

Law enforcement officials had worried that Brennan somehow drowned in the swollen Bear River after days without any clues. Rumors of a possible kidnapping even circulated.

But from day one, the Bountiful family never gave up hope.

"People say that the heavens are closed and that God no longer answers prayers," Brennan's mother, Jody Hawkins, said after arriving with her son at Primary Children's Medical Center. "We are here to unequivocally tell you the heavens are not closed, prayers are answered, and children come home."

A tired, dehydrated, bumped and bruised Brennan quietly waved to reporters as paramedics wheeled him into the hospital. His family accompanied him on the almost two-hour drive from the Boy Scout camp to the Salt Lake hospital.

Dr. Edward Clark, medical director for Primary Children's Medical Center, said Brennan was in "remarkably good shape," considering he just survived four days in the wilderness with no food or water.

Still, doctors haven't ruled out other injuries. Clark said the timing of Brennan's release will depend on how the boy feels today.

Doctors are concerned about Brennan suffering from refeeding syndrome, a condition that might cause him to have difficulties with sugars after not eating for an extended period of time.

Clark said Brennan's diet would start with liquids before moving onto soft foods.

Thousands of volunteers scoured the rugged Uintas near the Wyoming border since the boy was first reported missing Friday night.

Brennan was participating in a three-day Varsity Scout encampment at the East Fork of the Bear River Boy Scout Reservation. About 1,500 boys and 250 adult volunteers participated in the event, said Kay Godfrey, spokesman for the Great Salt Lake Council of the Boy Scouts of America.

Godfrey said it was a Varsity activity, which meant it was designed for 14- and 15-year-olds. Brennan was attending the camp as a guest of another boy.

Brennan disappeared Friday night after he struggled to get out of a harness after playing on a climbing wall with a friend.