NEW HARTFORD, Minn. —A man missing six days in rugged bluffs probably is alive and evading search parties, according to Ben Klinger, Winona County’s emergency management director. Klinger wasn’t specific about details on Elijah McCumber moving around the heavily canopied forest near the Houston County line east of New Hartford. His family has said McCumber, age 22, may be in a confused mental state. When last seen, McCumber had a backpack. Whether the backpack contained provisions has not been determined. Day and night shifts of sheriff’s deputies have been with searchers. Their tools have included trained, K-9s, drones, a State Patol helicopter, and thermal-imaging devices.
