Full Breakdown
Michigan Tubers Rescued After Three Days Lost in Muskegon River Brush
8/12/2026, 12:07:05 PM
Core Event: Stranded Tubers Found Alive
Conservation officers from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources located two women and a 9-year-old boy who had been missing for three days after their river-tubing trip went awry. The trio—Sarah Vida, 28; her son Kayden Kovalcik, 9; and Jazmin Hock, 28—were discovered Friday about seven miles (11.27 km) downstream from their launch point, deep in waist-high brush near the Mill Iron Boat Launch. Rescue crews reached them after tracking footprints, broken twigs and bent grass left along a path from a capsized tube.
Background & Context
The group entered the Muskegon River from the Maple Island Boat Launch in Newaygo County on Tuesday. Their inflatable rafts, intended for pool use, broke after striking log jams, causing the tubes to pop. When one of the women failed to appear for a dentist appointment, authorities launched a multi-agency search that spanned land, water and air.
Data & Statistics
- Persons rescued: 3 (two adults, one child)
- Duration missing: approximately 72 hours
- Distance from entry point to rescue site: ~7 miles (11.27 km)
- Injuries: cuts, bug bites, mud and scrapes covering exposed skin; dehydration and exhaustion noted
- Supplies found: a broken phone and a water bottle with only a few sips remaining
Official Statements & Responses
Conservation Officer Cameron Wright described the discovery as “nothing short of a miracle,” noting that the team had been running low on leads before locating the trio. He explained that rescuers followed a “path in the grass” and identified “footprints in the mud” to guide their search.
Lt. Pat Agema, spokesperson for the Michigan State Police, confirmed that the survivors were taken to a hospital for treatment of infections, dehydration and rashes. The child was released, while the two women remained under medical care.
On-the-Ground Reports
Survivors recounted subsisting on limited resources: Kayden drank river water and ate bark and ants, while the women supplemented their diet with floating flowers. Rescuers provided shirts to shield the victims from insects and applied medical gloves to their hands and feet. Both women were placed in Stokes baskets for extraction, and Wright carried the boy on his back out of the brush.
Verbatim Quotes
- “I was just in disbelief at finding them because we were just running out of ideas and places to search and it was nothing short of a miracle that we ended up finding them the way we did,” — Cameron Wright
- “They ate flowers that were floating on the water,” — Theresa Hock
The incident underscores the dangers of using unsuitable equipment on natural waterways and the challenges faced by search-and-rescue teams operating in dense, brush-filled terrain.
