Lost Michigan toddler found asleep, using family dog as pillow in Faithorn area of Menominee County

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‘She laid down and used one of the dogs as a pillow, and the other dog laid right next to her and kept her safe’

Friday, September 22, 2023 7:33PM

FAITHORN, Mich. — A 2-year-old girl who walked away from her home in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula alongside two family dogs was found in the woods hours later sleeping on the smaller dog like a furry pillow, state police said.

“She laid down and used one of the dogs as a pillow, and the other dog laid right next to her and kept her safe,” Lt. Mark Giannunzio said Thursday. “It’s a really remarkable story.”

Troopers used drones and police dogs in the search while local police and citizens from both Michigan and adjacent Wisconsin helped look for the girl in the remote wooded area.

Troopers from Michigan State Police’s Iron Mountain post had been called to a home in the Faithorn area of Menominee County about 8 p.m. Wednesday after the girl wandered away.

Around midnight, a citizen on an ATV found the girl about 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) from her home, state police said.

Giannunzio said the girl was checked by medical staff and appeared to be in good health.

Faithorn is an unincorporated village located just east of the Wisconsin state line and about 60 miles (97 kilometers) southwest of Marquette, Michigan.