Two ATV riders out for a Saturday trail run stumbled onto a nightmare scene in the Minnesota woods: a 68-year-old woman, partially submerged in a mud hole, whispering "Help me" after being missing for three days.
The woman, identified as Kathryn Woessner of Alexandria, was found on June 6 east of Park Rapids on a remote Cass County track. She was badly sunburned, dehydrated and stuck in mud she later described as "like quicksand." Volunteer firefighters and paramedics pulled her out, loaded her onto a stretcher and took her to a hospital in Brainerd for treatment.
How the Rescue Unfolded
According to The Minnesota Star Tribune, friends Adam Sandbeck and Mike Gravalin were riding about 30 miles east of their RV park when they decided to take a shortcut. That detour dropped them onto an unmarked trail and straight to a minivan buried in a mudhole.
Gravalin, a 50-year-old retired deputy U.S. marshal, checked out the scene. The pair quickly realized someone was in trouble: they could see only a hand and parts of a face above the muddy water. They called 911 and stayed with Woessner until volunteer rescuers could reach the remote spot.
"It was like a scene out of a movie," Sandbeck told the paper. He later said he felt it "had to be God" that led them to the exact location, per The Minnesota Star Tribune. The men said Woessner was mostly unable to move and that the waterline was close to her mouth when they found her. They helped shift her to slightly higher ground while they waited for first responders.
Getting Help to a Remote Site
As reported by Valley News Live, the riders used the Polaris Ride Command system to relay exact GPS coordinates to dispatchers so crews could navigate straight to the clearing. That precise location data helped volunteer firefighters and ambulance crews find the minivan and Woessner in thick, remote country.
The Douglas County Sheriff's Office had previously issued an endangered missing-person alert after she was last seen on June 3, according to the report.
Officials Seek Answers
As CBS Minnesota reported, Douglas County investigators are still working to understand how Woessner ended up roughly 100 miles from her Alexandria home and on an unmarked trail in Cass County. Authorities have not released details on her long-term medical condition and say they are continuing to piece together her movements in Hubbard and Cass counties.
ATV Safety and Search Context
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources notes that ATV safety training, carrying communication tools and telling someone your route before heading out can speed rescues when things go sideways in remote areas. The DNR maintains ATV safety and certification guidance meant to cut down on crashes and strandings and to help first responders find people quickly when trouble hits.
In this case, rescuers said the fast GPS coordinates and the work of volunteer crews were crucial to reaching a woman who had already been stranded for days.
Sandbeck and Gravalin - friends since second grade and regular riders from West Fargo - told reporters they were stunned that a routine ride turned into a life-saving discovery. The investigation into how Woessner ended up in that mud hole is ongoing, and officials are asking anyone with information about her movements after June 3 to contact the Douglas County Sheriff's Office. For riders, the ordeal is a stark reminder that even a quick shortcut in the backcountry can turn dangerous in a hurry.
