A U.S. father could face charges of child endangerment after taking his teen son into the Brazilian wilderness for a “tech detox,” according to local authorities.
Mark Alexander Cummings Rogers and the 13 year-old child were reported missing from Balneario Camboriu in Santa Catarina, southern Brazil, on Thursday August 28, prompting a major search for their whereabouts. The Daily Mail reports the alarm was raised when the boy was found to have missed several days of school.
The pair were found six days later camping in a secluded area of forest near Morro do Careca by teams from Brazil’s Military Fire Department, who had reportedly used drones to survey the area and track them down. Morro do Careca is a large sand dune and popular tourist spot near the coastal city of Natal.
The authorities said Cummings Rogers had hoped to spend time with his son away from the influence of phones and TV but had not informed anyone prior to their departure, hence the concern.
One Brazilian media outlet reported on Instagram that Cummings Rogers had told rescuers he had been trying to recreate the conditions seen on the popular Discovery Channel reality show Naked and Afraid on which contestants spend 21 days surviving in the jungle without food and water.
According to The Mail, the duo are originally from California but had lived in Brazil for six years. A number of local outlets have reported that the son also has Nicaraguan citizenship.
The search saw police locate their phones at a construction site and subsequently a Jeep with U.S. license plates belonging to the father. Police also reportedly visited the his apartment but found only two unfed cats.
The Santa Catarina Civil Police are investigating the case, with local media reporting that the father could face up to three years in prison if he is charged by authorities.
