Minnesota Woman, 68, Survives 3 Days Submerged in Mud After Van Gets Stuck

Q: Why was a 68-year-old woman on a remote trail 100 miles from home when she disappeared?

It is not yet known why Kathryn Woessner was on the remote trail roughly 100 miles from her home in Alexandria when she disappeared. What is established is that Woessner was last seen in Akeley, Minnesota, and her van later became stuck on a remote wooded trail near Park Rapids. While trying to free the vehicle, she got out, slipped into a two-foot-deep mud puddle, and became trapped for about three days. Authorities have confirmed where she was found and how she became immobilized, but they have not publicly explained her reason for being in that area. Reports say investigators are still trying to determine how she ended up on the trail so far from home. The available evidence points to a vehicle mishap in a remote area, not to a confirmed motive or destination. Until investigators or Woessner provide more detail, the reason for her presence there remains unresolved.

Q: Could a simple piece of technology have prevented this woman's harrowing three-day ordeal?

Yes. A personal locator beacon, or PLB, could very likely have shortened Kathryn Woessner’s ordeal from days to hours. Woessner was trapped alone in a remote wooded area after slipping into mud while trying to free her stuck van. In that kind of terrain, a phone may be out of reach, out of battery, or out of cell range. A PLB is built for exactly that scenario: with one activation, it sends a 406 MHz distress signal to the international Cospas-Sarsat satellite network, which alerts search-and-rescue authorities and provides location data. Experts and rescue guidance consistently treat PLBs as one of the most reliable tools for solo travelers in remote areas because they do not depend on local cell service and are designed for simple emergency use. Many models also include GPS and a homing signal that helps rescuers pinpoint the person on the ground. The devices typically have long-life batteries and no subscription requirement for the core SOS function. That said, no device can prevent the initial accident itself. A beacon would not have stopped her vehicle from getting stuck or her fall into the mud. It could, however, have dramatically reduced the time she spent immobilized and exposed to sun and the elements. A satellite messenger could also have helped, especially one with two-way texting. But for a simple, rugged emergency-only tool, a PLB is the clearest answer. In a case like this, it could have turned a chance discovery into a much faster, targeted rescue.

3 articles · Updated · NBC News · Jun 13

Kathryn Jane Woessner was found alive Saturday near Backus, Minnesota, after spending three days almost completely submerged in mud about 80 miles from her home in Alexandria.
Adam Sandbeck and Mike Gravalin told KARE they discovered her after spotting Woessner’s van stuck on muddy trails near Backus and Hackensack and then noticing what looked like a body in a puddle.
Woessner whispered “Help me,” Sandbeck said, and the two men pulled her out before calling 911; she later said she had fallen into mud that was “like quicksand.”
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said Woessner had last been seen June 3 and was taken to a hospital after the rescue, as authorities continue piecing together how she ended up there.