Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Woman Found After Nearly 12 Hours In The Woods

Gathering kindling for a fire Sunday turned into an adventure for a 69-year-old woman.

According to the Nevada County Sheriff's Office, at about 11 a.m. Sunday, Rosie Slater left her home to gather kindling to build a fire.

However, in picking up the wood, she got lost and was unable to find her way back home.

The NCSO was notified of the missing woman and began a search in the area of Sander's Loop near the Nevada, Columbia and Lafayette County lines.

Members of Slater's family had searched the area before calling authorities, and passed with about 50 feet of her on an all-terrain vehicle, but couldn't hear her yelling.

In addition to the NCSO, the Columbia County Sheriff's Office and Nevada County Rescue Unit became involved in the search, as did a group of Mennonites. The Little River K-9 unit also participated in the search.

She was found about 10:30 p.m. Other than being cold after spending almost 12 hours outdoors with no heavy coat, Slater suffered an ankle injury.

According to authorities, she was lucid and responsive when found, telling them she got lost while gathering kindling for a fire.