Washington teen found in woods 8 days after going missing

[ribrepin]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by applegrove (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).

Source: ABC news

An 18-year-old who went missing on July 24 has been found eight days later in the heavily wooded Cascade Mountains east of Seattle in what rescuers are calling a "miracle."

Giovanna "Gia" Fuda went missing last Friday after last being seen on surveillance footage at a coffee shop in Index, Washington. Her car was found out of gas on Highway 2 the next day between Skykomish and Steven's Pass in extremely mountainous terrain. But after more than a week of searching, the authorities had turned up very little until Saturday.

"We are absolutely thrilled to know that search and rescue located her alive," Sgt. Ryan Abbott, with the King County Sheriff's Office, said at a press conference Saturday evening. "She's in stable condition. She is with her parents and being transported to a local hospital."

Search and rescuers came across a notebook that belonged to Fuda along a stream deep in the woods off Highway 2 at about 2:45 p.m. local time, Abbott said. The crew followed the stream and eventually came across clothes and shoes belonging to Fuda. The searchers kept following the creek up a steep embankment and found her 2 miles from the bottom of the ravine.

Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/gma/washington-teen-found-woods-8-days-going-missing-025122673--abc-news-topstories.html

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Don't know how she ended up in the woods, but really glad they found her.

[AllaN01Bear]

1. good outcome.

[iluvtennis]

2. Glad she was found. nt

[keopeli]

3. I lived near Index, in Woodenville, for many years. These woods are dense

and the mountains are tall and steep. She's 18 and ran out of gas. Why she didn't stay on the road will be an important question. But, a whole week alone and lost is hard to imagine. She survived, thank God, so I'm eager to hear what happened in hopes of preventing a future loss.

God bless her and her family.

[ribrepin]

4. I've been up there many times and the woods are dense

I'm having a hard time figuring out why she didn't put up her hood and wait in her car or walk along the highway to get help. My husband thought she went into the woods to pee and got lost, but I would think you would keep the road in view if that was the case. Someone else thought she ran into someone creepy and ran into the woods to get away. Like you I want to find out how she became lost.

[betsuni]

12. My first thought was that she was afraid of creepy serial killers.

I'll never forget the case of a woman whose car broke down on I-5 at night. Tow truck was coming, police stopped and left her there. Wasn't very long but she disappeared, her body was found a few weeks later. And if you've seen the tv show "The Killing" ... Bigfoot and bears in the woods might seem less threatening than dealing with a serial killer.

[localroger]

5. Insert Twin Peaks reference here $

[pfitz59]

6. Rugged terrain

Foolish to leave the car. Nice (private) hot springs in the area.

[Sapient Donkey]

10. I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out to be some mental illness that sparked it

Around where I live a lady had an episode and she ran away into the woods a few years back and she's was never seen again. Could totally be wrong in this case, but it might help make sense of the behavior.

[Marcuse]

7. Seems like she was looking for water and found it.

[EarthFirst]

8. Glad they found her...

The wilderness can be an unforgiving environment to the unprepared and untrained.

Odd that she abandoned so many of her personal effects that would have aided in her survival along the way...

[olddad65]

9. Had she not left those things, they might have never found her.

[Ahpook]

11. Wow

Happy she was found! Sounds like she had fresh water at the least. That's rough!

Reminds me of the Maura Murray disappearance from 04'. NEVER understood what was going on with this person. Her whole scene sounded like trouble, but damn

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Maura_Murray

[lastlib]

13. She should've carried a deck of cards along......

What do they tell you to do when you're lost? First rule--STAY PUT!

Okay--what do you do while you're "staying put"? Of course--break out the cards and play solitaire!
Do that, and I'll guarantee you, in FIVE MINUTES, someone will be looking over your shoulder and say, "Put the red eight on the black nine"--and you're FOUND!!

Very glad they found her and that she's okay!

[applegrove]

14. Locking

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