Warren Losee's miraculous survival after 48 hours in the cold
Published October 5, 2026 at 11:29 PM
Contributed by
Millennial Star Research
Two-and-a-half-year-old Warren Losee, son of Isaac Losee, went missing from his home near Kanab, Utah, on Sunday, January 11, 1885. Despite intense searching by men and an Indian scout, the child was missing for 48 hours in freezing temperatures. The child was eventually found lying near a bush, alive but severely frostbitten. Through care and warmth, the child was revived, recovered, and eventually able to walk and talk.
Fuller account of this event (the complete account as preserved in The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, Vol. 47, No. 6, 9 February 1885, p. 94):
A little boy, two and a half years old, son of Isaac Losee, of Kanab, Utah, wandered away from home on the 11th of January, and was lost for forty-eight hours. The weather was very cold, and the child was exposed to the elements all that time. He was found near a bush, alive, but badly frozen. He is now recovering, and it is expected he will be able to walk and talk as usual.
In Their Own Words
“On Sunday last (11th inst.) at 2 o'clock p. m., at Springs, 18 miles from Kanab, Kane Co., a two-and-a-half year old child, named Warren Losee, son of Isaac Losee, was missed from the house and could not be found... It was finally found lying near a bush, and was supposed to be dead, but when touched it raised its head, opened its eyes and groaned. Its hands and feet were very much swollen with frost. The child was placed in cold water, and the frost drawn out of its limbs, which were then rubbed with liquor, and some nourishment was furnished for the stomach. It recovered, cried naturally, and finally talked a little. It also knew its mother on sight, who had not expected to find her child alive. It had been out 48 hours. — Millennial Star 47:6”
Sources & References
The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star (Manchester, later Liverpool, England, May 1840–1970), 9 February 1885 (Vol. 47, No. 6). https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1885-02-09_47_6 (account extracted verbatim from the issue's Internet Archive OCR text; research confidence: high) Complete account: The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, Vol. 47, No. 6, 9 February 1885, p. 94 https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1885-02-09_47_6
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