Game Warden K9 Breezy and Game Warden Lucas Bellanceau located two missing people earlier this afternoon after they had spent last night in the woods after they had become lost while on a hike.

48-year-old Joseph Caroto of Limington and 55-year-old Stacey Gain of Baldwin had gone on a hike with another friend yesterday afternoon off of Mills Street in Steep Falls when they got turned around and could not find their way back.

The trio spent the night in the woods last night, and this morning, the friend was able to hike out and wandered to a house, shoeless and cold, and told the homeowner that his friends were still lost in the woods and weren’t doing well.

K9 units from the Maine Warden Service and Cumberland County Sheriff’s office convened in the area and began searching the large bog in the area.

At approximately 3:00 this afternoon, Warden K9 Breezy struck on a scent, and led Warden Bellanceau to the missing pair who were lost in the middle of the bog. Both Caroto and Gain were severely hypothermic, and unable to walk. Game Wardens started a fire, and gave the subjects some food and warm drinks to warm them up.

With the pair unable to walk, Maine Game Wardens, along with emergency response personnel from the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office and fire departments from Standish, Sebago, Baldwin, Buxton, Limington and Hollis were able to carry the the pair out through the bog on litter, at times carrying them through waist deep water in order to get them out of the woods. Once out, they were transported by ambulance to the hospital, where they are expected to make a full recovery.

This release will be updated if any new information becomes available.