Baby survives 9 hours buried in western Montana woods

This Sunday, July 8, 2018 photo provided by the Missoula County Sheriff's Office shows a 5-month-old infant with dirt under their fingernails after authorities say the baby survived about nine hours being buried under sticks and debris in the woods. The Missoula County Sheriff's Office says the baby is in good condition at a hospital and calls it a "miracle" that the child survived the weekend ordeal. Authorities say they were called about a man threatening people in the Lolo Hot Springs area of western Montana's Lolo National Forest. Deputies apprehended the man who indicated that the baby was buried somewhere in the woods. (Missoula County Sheriff's Office via AP)

A 5-month-old infant who miraculously survived more than nine hours being buried under a pile of sticks and debris in the woods of western Montana suffered only minor injuries despite wearing wet and soiled clothes in cold weather, authorities said Monday.

The baby boy is otherwise in good condition, authorities said.

Missoula County Sheriff's deputies were called about 8 p.m. Saturday about a man threatening people in the Lolo Hot Springs area of the Lolo National Forest. Deputies apprehended the man, who indicated that a baby was buried somewhere in the woods.

The sheriff's office hastily put together a search crew of federal, state and local officials that combed the forest outside the hot springs for six hours before a deputy heard a baby's cry at about 2:30 a.m. Sunday.

He found the baby face-down under the pile of sticks and debris, dressed only in a wet and soiled onesie in the 46-degree (8-degree Celsius) weather.

"He suffered some minor scrapes and bruising but overall is in good health," sheriff's spokeswoman Brenda Bassett said in a statement Monday.

The baby was taken to a hospital. Custody of the child has been referred to the state Division of Child and Family Services. Spokesman Chuck Council declined to answer any questions about where the child will be placed or how the baby will be cared for, citing medical privacy.

This Sunday, July 8, 2018 booking photo provided by the Missoula County Jail shows suspect Francis Crowley, who was being held on $50,000 bail on a charge of criminal endangerment. On Saturday, July 7, the Missoula County Sheriff's deputies were called about a man threatening people in the Lolo Hot Springs area of the Lolo National Forest. Deputies apprehended Crowley, who indicated that a baby was buried somewhere in the woods. The authorities after searching found a 5-month-old infant who survived more than nine hours being buried under a pile of sticks and debris in the woods of western Montana who suffered only minor injuries. (Missoula County Jail via AP)

Francis Crowley, 32, was being held on $50,000 bail on a charge of criminal endangerment. Additional charges will follow, the sheriff's office said in a statement Sunday.

"For all of us at the sheriff's office, this is what we call a miracle," the statement said. "For the officers who were present for this event, it's especially hard knowing what this small baby endured in the last 24 hours."

Crowley is from Portland, Oregon, and was previously arrested in June in Missoula on a fugitive warrant from Oregon, the Missoulian reported. Crowley was released when Oregon officials decided not to extradite him, Deputy Missoula County Attorney Jason Marks said.

The nature of Crowley's relationship to the baby was not immediately clear. There was no information on whether Crowley had an attorney.

SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) — An endangered sawfish rescued last month in the Florida Keys after it was spotted acting erratically and swimming in circles has died as wildlife officials continue to search for what is causing fish to become distressed.

The Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium in Sarasota said in a statement that the 11-foot (3.3-meter) smalltooth sawfish died Thursday at the facility, where it had been undergoing treatment. It was rescued April 5 off Cudjoe Key, part of an abnormal fish die-off that has killed at least 45 sawfish and other fish species as well.

Authorities say a necropsy will be performed to possibly shed light on what is affecting the fish, which could take weeks or months to determine. It was humanely euthanized because its condition had deteriorated recently.

“It was always our cautious hope to be able to utilize the best available science for the rehabilitation and release of the sawfish,” said Mote Marine President and CEO Michael Crosb y. “Sadly, even with our best efforts, the animal was too compromised to recover.”

Sawfish, an ancient species named for their long snout with rows of teeth on each side, were once found all along the Gulf of Mexico and southern Atlantic coasts in the U.S., but now are mainly confined to southwestern Florida and the Keys island chain as their habitats shrink.

Sawfish necropsies have not revealed any pathogen or bacterial infections, nor problems with low water oxygen levels or contaminants such as chemicals, or toxic red tide. Water testing is continuing.

Another potential factor is climate change, which superheated Florida waters last summer, causing other marine damage, such as coral bleaching and the deaths of other marine species. The waters are unusually warm already this year as well.

FILE - This photo provided by Mote Marine Lab shows a sawfish, April 5, 2024, in Florida's Lower Keys. The endangered sawfish rescued last month in the Florida Keys after it was spotted acting erratically and swimming in circles died Thursday, May 2, as wildlife officials continue to search for what is causing fish to become distressed. (Mote Marine Lab via AP, File)