(KNZA)--A man apparently became disoriented while walking in Brown County, and his distress call to an area 911 center led to his rescue.

Brown County Sheriff John Merchant, in a release, said the Nemaha County Sheriff’s Office took the 911 cell phone call shortly before 9:00 Wednesday morning.

The man told the dispatcher he was lost, cold and wet, laying in a field somewhere between a pond and a farmhouse.

The dispatch center was able to identify that the call was coming from a Brown County location, in the vicinity of Hazelnut and K-20 Highway.

When the call was transferred to Brown County dispatch, the Brown County Sheriff’s Office and Kickapoo Tribal Police were contacted and the search began.

Merchant notes that strong winds and heavy rains were occurring at the time of the call, but that didn’t deter Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Brian Guilliams and Kickapoo Police Chief Nathan Gray from walking more than half-a-mile in wet, muddy fields, until they located the man who placed the emergency call.

According to Merchant, the man, whose name is not released, had spent 24 hours in the elements after walking near the Delaware River where he became disoriented, leading him to spend the night outdoors.

Located shortly before 11:30 Wednesday morning, Merchant said the Kickapoo Fire Department utilized an ATV to transport the man from the field to a waiting Horton EMS ambulance which transferred him to the Hiawatha Community Hospital for treatment and observation.

Merchant, in the release said, “By the actions taken by the Nemaha County Sheriffs dispatch, Chief Gray and Sgt. Guilliams, they are directly responsible for saving this mans life.”

Merchant is also crediting a number of agencies who took part in the effort, including the Brown County Rescue Squad, Powhattan Fire, the Kansas Highway Patrol, and the Brown County Mounted Search and Rescue.