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Missing Woman Found Alive In Tent Five Months After Disappearance, Survived Eating Moss And Grass

Woman missing since Nov. 25 found in tent in Utah [Utah County Sheriff's Office]

[Utah County Sheriff's Office]

Brianna Lyman News and Commentary Writer
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A woman who went missing more than five months ago near a trailhead in Utah has been found alive, living in a tent, according to authorities.

The unidentified 47-year-old woman went missing on Nov. 25, according to Utah County Sheriff’s Office. U.S. Forest Service Officials discovered an abandoned car and camping equipment in a parking lot of a Forest Service campground in the Diamond Fork area of Spanish Fork Canyon.

Authorities, believing the car and equipment to be abandoned, impounded the vehicle. Deputies also took the camping equipment “for safekeeping,” according to the Utah County Sheriff’s Office. (RELATED: Police Find Human Remains During Search For Missing 18-Year-Old Amish Girl)

Over the following months, authorities attempted to track down the woman’s family but were unsuccessful, though they did manage to contact her former co-worker. Authorities found “information that suggested this woman might struggle with mental health challenges.”

Authorities returned to the area on May 2 with other rescue personnel to find the woman, using a drone to survey the area. The drone crashed but its pilot and officer stumbled upon the woman’s tent.

She “had lost a significant amount of weight and was weak,” though authorities noted that the woman “was apparently also resourceful.”

Authorities say they believe she “knowingly chose to remain in the area over the months” and “did have a small amount of food with her.” The woman told authorities “she foraged for grass and moss to subsist.”

The woman was taken to a nearby hospital for a mental health evaluation, with authorities noting she may very well choose to return to the same area, which is legal.