Man Could Face Charges for Taking Son into Brazilian Wilderness for Tech Detox

A father may face legal charges after reportedly disappearing into the Brazilian wilderness with his teen son for an alleged tech detox.

California native Mark Alexander Cummings Rogers, 48, and his 13-year-old son were reported missing from Balneario Camboriu, a city in southern Brazil, on Thursday, Aug. 28, The Independent, KPTV and the New York Post reported.

They were ultimately located by authorities in a secluded area of forest near the popular tourist destination Morro do Careca, nearly a week later on Tuesday, Sept. 2, per local news outlet Pagina 3.

The father and son were discovered after rescue workers located Rogers’ abandoned jeep and cell phone several days earlier, which helped authorities narrow their search, the outlet said.

“The boy was very hungry and thirsty, so much so that, immediately after being rescued by firefighters, he ate a large piece of cake and bread,” said police delegate Luana Backes in a translated statement obtained by Brazilian media outlet Midiamax. 

Backes added, “They were very tired, and neither had bathed in days.”

Rogers told authorities that he wanted to do a digital detox with his son, as well as emulate the conditions of the survival show Naked and Afraid, which challenges contestants to survive for 21 days in the wilderness, per Midiamax.

PEOPLE reached out to the Santa Catarina Civil Police for comment on Saturday, Sept. 6, but did not receive an immediate response.

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Rogers had been living in Brazil for six years, and authorities initially became aware that something was wrong after his son did not show up for school, according to The Independent and the Post.

Rogers could now face child endangerment charges,The Independent, KPTV and the Post reported.