Brennan Hawkins

[Sher]

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (AP) -- Authorities remained hopeful that an 11-year-old Boy Scout missing in the Utah wilderness was still alive despite fruitless searches by thousands of volunteers, some on horseback or riding ATVs.

About 3,000 volunteers searched Sunday for the boy, Brennan Hawkins of Bountiful, who was last seen near a climbing wall at the 8,500-foot elevation Scouting site in the High Uintas, about 80 miles east of Salt Lake City.

"I do believe that he could have survived this long, and we're operating under that premise," Summit County Sheriff Dave Edmunds said Sunday.

A climbing-wall supervisor said he saw the boy about 5:30 p.m. Friday struggling to remove climbing gear. At the same time, he saw the boy's friend walking down a dirt road toward the family's campsite about 200 yards away. The supervisor looked away and then looked back, but didn't see either boy, said Chief Deputy Sheriff Dave Booth, the search and rescue coordinator.

"He must have separated from his friend," his mother Jody Hawkins said Saturday. "He doesn't have a great sense of direction."

Scout leaders began a search for the boy about 6:30 p.m. Friday and were joined by the Summit County search and rescue squad about 9:45 p.m. On Saturday, about 1,000 searchers turned out.

Some searchers brought horses and all-terrain vehicles. Helicopters were used, including one that searched at night using infrared devices. Some churches in the Bountiful area canceled services on Sunday so their members could help.

Brennan Hawkins, who recently completed the fifth grade, was wearing a blue sweat shirt, black shorts and white tennis shoes when he disappeared. Search officials were not concerned about exposure, as temperatures were only expected to drop into the 50s overnight.

Authorities are fearful the boy may tried to cross the East Fork of the Bear River, which comes within about 50 yards of the camp. Two swift-water dive teams searched the river for miles on Sunday.

"The biggest risk is the river," Booth said. "It's over a man's head in some places, and the current is swift."

The mountainous area being searched is just 15 miles from where 12-year-old Garrett Bardsley vanished last summer while camping near Crystal Lake. Bardsley was never found, despite a wide, weeklong search.

On Saturday, Bardsley's father, Kevin Bardsley, joined the search for Hawkins. Booth said the area of the current search is less severe than where Garrett was lost -- not as high, steep or cold.

[Sher]

KAMAS, Utah — The search for a missing 11-year-old Boy Scout entered its third day Monday in Utah's rugged mountains, with police and volunteers using dogs, horses and all-terrain vehicles.

Thousands of volunteers have scoured nearly six square miles of the High Uintas (search), about 80 miles east of Salt Lake City, for Brennan Hawkins (search) of Bountiful, who was last seen Friday night at a Boy Scout camp.

"He's probably dehydrated, sleep-deprived, definitely hungry," said Brennan's father, Toby. "With him being so young at 11, I don't think he's thinking about what he needs to do to survive because he's never been in that environment."

Brennan was last seen near a climbing wall at the 8,500-foot elevation Scouting site, not far from the swollen East Fork of the Bear River (search).

About 3,000 volunteers searched for the boy on Sunday, when some churches in Brennan's hometown of bountiful, north of Salt Lake City, canceled services so their members could help.

Jody Hawkins she has sat in the campground the last two days, staring at hills wondering if that's where her son is lost. She said some of the volunteers were discouraged because they didn't find Brennan Sunday, but she assured them their help is valuable.

"I know where's he's not now, I know he's not in those hills," Jody Hawkins said. "We got that much closer because of those people."

Summit County Sheriff Dave Edmunds said searches of the rugged wilderness had turned up no evidence so far, but investigators remain hopeful that the boy is simply lost. Nonetheless, investigators were exploring the possibility of foul play, especially since there were quite a few people in the mountains.

"It's very important that we conduct a comprehensive investigation, and part of that is looking into possible criminal activity," Edmunds said. "We want to know who was in the woods up here."

A climbing-wall supervisor said he saw the boy about 5:30 p.m. Friday struggling to remove climbing gear. At the same time, he saw the boy's friend walking down a dirt road toward the family's campsite about 200 yards away. The supervisor looked away and then looked back, but didn't see either boy, said Chief Deputy Sheriff Dave Booth, the search and rescue coordinator.

Brennan, who recently completed the fifth grade, was wearing a blue sweat shirt, black shorts and white tennis shoes when he disappeared. Search officials were not concerned about exposure since temperatures have been warm, only reaching the 50s during the nights.

Brennan's mother said the boy had a lot of outdoor experience. His father said the boy is shy and might not approach a stranger to confess he is lost.

Authorities are fearful the boy may tried to cross the East Fork of the Bear River, which comes within about 50 yards of the camp. Two swift-water dive teams searched the river for miles on Sunday, and were setting out again on Monday.

"The biggest risk is the river," Booth said. "It's over a man's head in some places, and the current is swift."

The mountainous area being searched is just 15 miles from where 12-year-old Garrett Bardsley (search) vanished last summer while camping near Crystal Lake. Bardsley was never found, despite a wide, weeklong search.

Booth said the area of the current search is less severe than where Garrett was lost — not as high, steep or cold.

Bardsley's father, Kevin Bardsley, joined the search for Brennan, fulfilling a promise he made when ending the search for his own son.

"When we came off this mountain in the winter, my friends and I decided right then, if anyone came missing, we'd be there immediately," he said. "I never stop thinking about my son, and I never will the rest of my life."

[Sher]

KAMAS, Utah (AP) -- Searchers had few clues Monday to the whereabouts of an 11-year-old boy missing from a popular Boy Scout camp in a rugged, snowcapped mountain range in Utah.

Brennan Hawkins was last seen Friday afternoon at the camp in the Uinta Mountains east of Salt Lake City.

"We have nothing to go on," Summit County Sheriff Dave Edmunds said.

Brennan, who had not yet graduated from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts, was a visitor at the camp with a friend, whose father was volunteering at a three-day session for 1,400 older scouts.

The sheriff said he had no reason to suspect foul play, but he had opened a criminal investigation and detectives were checking the background of every adult who was at the camp Friday.

Brennan disappeared somewhere along a quarter-mile of dirt road between the camp's artificial climbing wall and the "chow hall," where he was to meet his friend.

"I can't fathom it, because I know where he started and where he was supposed to end," said John M. Knight, a Boy Scout adviser from Brennan's hometown of Bountiful, just north of Salt Lake. "There's no reason to believe he did anything other" than walk on that road.

A swollen river is within 100 yards of the road, but Brennan did not have to cross it to get to the hall. Searchers used poles to probe the swift water near the camp, about 80 miles east of Salt Lake City.

Brennan carried no food or water, and his family said he didn't have a good sense of direction. Weather has been mild, with temperatures falling into the 50s at night.

Police and thousands of volunteers using dogs, horses and all-terrain vehicles have scoured nearly six square miles of the High Uintas.

"He's probably dehydrated, sleep-deprived, definitely hungry," said Brennan's father, Toby. "With him being so young at 11, I don't think he's thinking about what he needs to do to survive because he's never been in that environment."

About 3,000 volunteers searched for the boy on Sunday, when some churches in Brennan's hometown of Bountiful, north of Salt Lake City, canceled services so their members could help.

Jody Hawkins said she has sat in the campground the last two days, staring at hills wondering if that's where her son is lost. She said some of the volunteers were discouraged because they didn't find Brennan Sunday, but she assured them their help is valuable.

"I know where's he's not now, I know he's not in those hills," Jody Hawkins said. "We got that much closer because of those people."

A climbing-wall supervisor said he saw the boy about 5:30 p.m. Friday struggling to remove climbing gear. At the same time, he saw the boy's friend walking down a dirt road toward the family's campsite about 200 yards away. The supervisor looked away and then looked back, but didn't see either boy, said Chief Deputy Sheriff Dave Booth, the search and rescue coordinator.

Brennan, who recently completed the fifth grade, was wearing a blue sweat shirt, black shorts and white tennis shoes when he disappeared. Search officials were not concerned about exposure since temperatures have been warm, only reaching the 50s during the nights.

Brennan's mother said the boy had a lot of outdoor experience. His father said the boy is shy and might not approach a stranger to confess he is lost.

Authorities are fearful the boy may have tried to cross the East Fork of the Bear River. Two swift-water dive teams searched the river for miles on Sunday.

"The biggest risk is the river," Booth said. "It's over a man's head in some places, and the current is swift."

The mountainous area being searched is just 15 miles from where 12-year-old Garrett Bardsley vanished last summer while camping near Crystal Lake. Bardsley was never found, despite a wide, weeklong search.

Booth said the area of the current search is less severe than where Garrett was lost -- not as high, steep or cold.

Bardsley's father, Kevin Bardsley, joined the search for Brennan, fulfilling a promise he made when ending the search for his own son.

"When we came off this mountain in the winter, my friends and I decided right then, if anyone came missing, we'd be there immediately," he said. "I never stop thinking about my son, and I never will the rest of my life."

[Sher]

BOUNTIFUL, Utah (CNN) -- The father of 11-year-old Cub Scout Brennan Hawkins said Wednesday his son "continues to amaze us" after surviving four days alone in the Utah wilderness.

Brennan was found safe Tuesday by a searcher driving an all-terrain vehicle and was taken to Primary Children's Medical Center in Salt Lake City.

Doctors released him early Wednesday and he returned to his family home in the suburb of Bountiful. His parents said the boy appeared to be fine, but wasn't talking much about his ordeal.

"Brennan continues to amaze us," his father, Toby Hawkins, said at a news conference outside their home. "You know, his ability to deal with this initially, I made the comment that I thought that he was the most ill-prepared out of our five children to deal with it, and now I think he was maybe the best prepared."

Brennan's mother, Jody Hawkins, suggested that her son may have been avoiding searchers by following his father's advice.

"He had two thoughts going through his head all the time," she said. "Toby's always told him that 'If you get lost, stay on the trail.' So he stayed on the trail. We've also told him don't talk to strangers ... when an ATV or horse came by he got off the trail ... when they left, he got back on the trail."

"His biggest fear, he told me, was someone would steal him," Jody Hawkins added.

Brennan went missing Friday while camping at an 8,500-foot elevation Boy Scout camp about 80 miles east of Salt Lake.

Toby Hawkins was asked how he felt. "What a remarkable finish and conclusion to this whole experience," he said.

"You go from incredible worry and concern ... then you go through the search process of not getting any clues ... and then in just an instant, kind of flip of the switch, you go to incredible exhilaration and gratitude and appreciation for everybody's efforts that ultimately resulted in the successful rescue of Brennan."

Both parents' composure cracked as they described how they learned their son had been found alive.

Jody Hawkins said she feared the worst when officials from the Summit County Sheriff's Department asked her to get in a car because they had news.

"I, at that point, didn't think Brennan was still with us," she said. "I felt peace with the situation but I didn't really think he could have survived that long in the wilderness. ... So when I was going to get into the sheriff's car I knew they going to tell me that Brennan was no longer with me.

"So I collapsed even before I got into the sheriff's truck, and when they told me that Brennan was still alive ... my brain still cannot comprehend that."

Although Brennan hasn't given many details about his ordeal, he did tell his father that when he first realized he was lost, he said a prayer.

"I said to Brennan, 'Heavenly father has taken care of you,'" Toby Hawkins said.

As his parents spoke with reporters outside their home, Brennan lay sleeping inside, hours after his release from a hospital, where doctors diagnosed him with sunburn and some minor dehydration.

"His personality has not changed one tiny bit," said Jody Hawkins. "He was cracking jokes to us within 20 to 30 seconds when we saw him yesterday."

The boy was last reported seen around 5:30 p.m. Friday by a climbing wall supervisor who said he saw Brennan removing his climbing gear. When the boy failed to show up for dinner an hour later, Scout leaders began searching.

On Tuesday, volunteer searcher Forrest Nunley -- driving an all-terrain vehicle -- came across the boy around noon (3 p.m. ET) about a mile and a half south of Lily Lake -- five miles west of where he was last seen, said Summit County Sheriff David Edmunds.

Nunley told The Associated Press he "turned a corner and there was a kid standing in the middle of the trail. He was all muddy and wet." Nunley then dialed 911 on his cell phone. "He was a little delirious. I sat him down and gave him a little food," he told AP.

On Tuesday, Dr. Edward Clark, medical director of Primary Children's, said, "Brennan appears in remarkably good shape, given the ordeal he's been through."

An initial evaluation showed the boy was "scraped and bumped, he's had falls and bruises," said Clark, who added that the boy was being treated for dehydration. He was given blood tests and X-rays and finally released to go home Wednesday at 1:30 a.m. (3:30 a.m. EDT.)

Volunteers had delayed searching the area where Brennan was found because they thought it unlikely that the boy crossed the nearby mountain ridge to get there.

Brennan told rescuers he'd had nothing to eat or drink during his ordeal.

After eating and drinking, Brennan -- wearing the same blue sweatshirt, nylon shorts and climbing shoes he was reported wearing Friday -- "wanted to play a video game on one of the searchers' cell phones."