Missing teen ‘miraculously’ found alive after spending eight days in the woods

1
woods, forest

INQUIRER.net stock photo

An 18-year-old woman who went missing for eight days was found alive in the woods by a search and rescue crew in Washington, United States.

Giovanna “Gia” Fuda was reported missing on July 24. Her car was found out of gas along a highway, as per the King County Sheriff’s Office PIO’s Twitter post on July 27.

The authorities called Fuda’s disappearance “suspicious” after her purse was found in her vehicle but her cellphone could not be located and apparently had its power turned off, according to the office’s update on July 28.

The sheriff’s office announced that Fuda was found alive this Sunday, Aug. 2.

The officials defined the woman’s rescue as “definitely a miracle,” as per ABC-affiliate KABC on the same day.

Fuda was last seen at a coffee shop in Index, Washington, according to Sgt. Ryan Abbott who works for the King County Sheriff’s Office.

The authorities looked for the woman for a week with barely any new leads until last Sunday afternoon. The search and rescue team initially found some items along the creek such as clothing, shoes and a notebook.

When they finally found her, the team said that Fuda was “alert and conscious” but was not coherent. The teen did not have any food with her, but the rescuers believed she could have eaten wild huckleberries in the woods.

The area in which they found the teen was “a dead zone” which may explain why it was hard to track down her phone.

The authorities believe that she may have gotten lost while looking for a gas station, as per the report.

“That will be something for us to ask her once she’s feeling better and willing to speak,” Abbott was quoted as saying.

Fuda is now in a stable condition and has since been reunited with her family. Cha Lino/NVG

RELATED STORIES:

High school student saves 74-year-old woman who fell down garage stairs

Teen who went skydiving for first time dies with instructor after parachute failed

Read more...