Man found, recovering in hospital

STEHOUWER

A local man is recovering in hospital today after surviving more than 48 hours in the woods on the weekend.

Forty-four-year-old Steven Stehouwer was found alive Sunday afternoon near his home on the McLeod Hill Road. A group of search volunteers discovered Stehouwer about 2:30 p.m. He had been missing since Thursday at about 9 p.m.

"I'm elated and so thankful to the volunteers," said Stehouwer's wife, Annette Stehouwer.

Stehouwer declined to discuss her husband's disappearance. But she said her entire family is happy her husband was found alive.

RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Gary Cameron said search volunteers found Stehouwer about 1 kilometre from his home next to a river. Stehouwer was lying near the river, he said, but conscious.

Cameron said Stehouwer was very weak and not able to walk on his own. But he said police did not believe Stehouwer sustained any serious injuries.

He said he had a number of bug bites.

Stehouwer's disappearance sparked a massive search of the McLeod Hill area Friday.

District 2 RCMP, search and rescue teams and members of the Fredericton Police Force canine unit joined the effort. Stehouwer had been seen entering the woods near his home just before his disappearance.

Cameron said police are still trying to determine why Stehouwer went into the woods and what happened to him.

He said Stehouwer wasn't talkative when search teams found him Sunday afternoon.

But police told reporters Friday that Stehouwer is known to enjoy walks in the woods. He is also familiar with the area around the McLeod Hill Road, they said.

The search for Stehouwer posed a challenge for search teams as rainy weather and rugged terrain made searching difficult.

Cameron said more than a dozen people offered to help police in the search for Stehouwer.