woman found – Kathryn Jane Woessner, 68, was found alive after three days trapped in mud beside her stranded van west of Backus, Minnesota, authorities said. Two men on off-road vehicles discovered her and her condition nearly submerged, then called 911.
She was nearly swallowed by mud when two men finally got close enough to hear her.
Kathryn Jane Woessner. 68. of Alexandria. Minnesota. had been missing for three days before rescuers found her alive Saturday. June 6. west of Backus—about 80 miles from her hometown—according to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. Woessner was the subject of an endangered missing person investigation after she was last seen June 3.
Authorities said the Cass County Sheriff’s Office notified Douglas County investigators at about 3:30 p.m. June 6 that Woessner had been found alive. Because of her condition, she was transported to Essentia Health–St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Brainerd. Her current condition was not immediately available.
The rescue began when two friends on off-road vehicles stumbled onto the stranded van in a remote area after their plans changed.
Adam Sandbeck and Mike Gravalin told KARE 11 they were exploring trails near Backus and Hackensack after an organized ride did not work out as planned. They said they took an unfamiliar trail and came across a van in a remote clearing. Gravalin described the situation as baffling—“There’s this van in the middle of nowhere that has no real off-road capabilities to get there. but it somehow did.”.
When the two approached, they said they believed Woessner was dead. Sandbeck told KARE 11 that it appeared someone was lying in a puddle next to the van. “When we walked up, we thought she was dead,” he said. Moments later, he said she whispered, “Help me.”
According to the men, Woessner was nearly completely submerged in mud. Sandbeck said all they could see was the round portion of her face—her mouth and lips—with her ears hidden. “You couldn’t even see her ears. It was all submerged.”
Sandbeck and Gravalin pulled Woessner from the mud and called 911. Emergency responders were then able to locate them using coordinates provided through a GPS tracking feature on their off-road vehicle.
After the rescue, Woessner told Sandbeck she had fallen into the muddy pool beside her van and immediately became trapped. He told KARE 11 she said it was like quicksand and that she couldn’t get out.
In a Facebook post announcing that Woessner had been found alive. the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office thanked the agencies that assisted in the search and investigation. Those agencies included the Hubbard County Sheriff’s Office. the Alexandria Police Department. the Minnesota State Patrol. the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. and the Cass County Sheriff’s Office.
Sandbeck and Gravalin later told KARE 11 they do not consider themselves heroes. They said they believe they were in the right place at the right time after deciding to explore a trail they had passed by for years. Sandbeck said, “We actually turned around and drove back down it.”
Kathryn Jane Woessner Alexandria Minnesota Backus Minnesota missing person investigation mud rescue Douglas County Sheriff's Office Cass County Sheriff's Office Essentia Health-St. Joseph's Medical Center
3 days in mud?? How did she even breathe.
This is why I don’t go on those “unfamiliar trails.” One wrong turn and it’s over. Also mud feels like it should be impossible to get out of.
Wait so the van “had no real off-road capabilities” but she was just… stuck there? If the van didn’t go there then how was it there in the first place. I’m guessing someone left it or she fell out from a different car? Idk.
Mud swallow you up like quicksand kinda. Glad they heard her though, that’s insane. Makes me think the 911 call thing took forever but maybe it’s just hard to get close in that terrain. Wonder if she tried to flag them down and her voice went away.