THE WOODLANDS, Texas — A lot of people are calling it a miracle: 3-year-old Christopher Ramirez is back in his mother’s arms after being lost in the Grimes County woods for about three days.
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Could have he survived without any help? Ray McKee with Texas with Texas Survival School said it's possible.
"Kids 6 and younger have a better outcome being lost in the woods than kids 7 to 12 do," McKee said.
He said studies have shown that younger kids are less likely to worry about some of the little things they might encounter in those situations.
"They worry less about (if) the water looks bad or smells bad or maybe bugs are over in the log I am huddling by to stay out of the wind. They are more concerned about meeting that immediate physical need. Whereas when kids get older, they start to process things a little bit more and start to think about things a little bit more," McKee said.
When it comes to food, doctors said it would be possible for a child to make it for a while.
"Children can pretty easily survive without food for a week, especially if they don’t have medical problems," said Hilary Fairbrother, an associate professor of emergency medicine at UTHealth Houston.
Doctors said accessibility to water would be the most important factor.
"Most people can survive without water for a couple of days. But again, children have a less long amount of time that they can survive without water," Fairbrother said.
Experts said Christopher was lucky he didn’t encounter any animals in the thick brush. They said the weather was also in his favor.
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"Sheltering is a big deal but the weather was almost perfect for him. ... Super mild, not too hot during the day, not too cold at night," McKee said.
Grimes County authorities said no foul play is suspected. Investigators are going back into the woods in search of the boy's clothes. Christopher is still at the hospital with his mother getting medical attention. He's expected to be released from the hospital Monday.