A 14-year-old American boy kidnapped in the Philippines five months ago by suspected Abu Sayyaf militants escaped his captors last week and was reunited with his family over the weekend.
Kevin Lunsmann fled into the jungle in Basilan province Friday when his four armed captors allowed him to take a bath in a stream. He wandered barefoot in the jungle for two days before he stumbled upon villagers about 6 miles southwest of Lamitan City. Lunsmann initially ran from the villagers, fearing they would return him to his captors. Authorities were contacted and Lunsmann was taken by plane to Manila where he was turned over to the U.S. Embassy.
“It was a tough five months. I’m just so happy," the boy’s father, Heiko Lunsmann, told CNN affiliate WSET. "I'm so proud of my son, he's a hero, he wandered two days through the jungle.”
Kevin was abducted along with his Filipino-American mother, Gerfa Yeatts Lunsmann, and his 19-year-old cousin, Romnick Jakari, in July while vacationing in Zamboanga City. Gerfa was released in October after a ransom payment and Jakaria was released last month.
"In this holiday season nothing makes me happier than knowing that an innocent victim is returned to his family in time for holiday celebrations. If ever we are to be inspired by the human spirit, we should take comfort in the courage, commitment and love that the Lunsmann family exhibited during this trying ordeal,” Harry Thomas, the United States ambassador to the Philippines, said in a statement over the weekend.
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