How a mother of four was lost in bushland for a week, drank from puddles to survive before being miraculously found
- Mother of four survives eight days in remote bushland
- Rikki Mitchell was found near Townville on Wednesday
- She survived by drinking water from puddles
A mother of four who was lost for eight days in the dense bushland has miraculously been found alive after drinking from puddles to survive.
Rikki Leigh Mitchell disappeared Monday after becoming disoriented during a bush walk near a Reid River rest area near Townsville in northern Queensland.
After a dive with her boyfriend, her partner went to visit friends in the area and when he came back he couldn’t find her.
Police launched a full-scale search the next morning before rescue crews found the relieved mother at 9:30 a week later on Wednesday.
Mother-of-four Rikki Mitchell (pictured) spent eight days lost in thick undergrowth at Reid River near Townsville. She was miraculously found alive on Wednesday after drinking from puddles to survive
Detective Jason Shepard said Ms. Mitchell became “disoriented” and walked deeper into the bushland for days before crossing the path of an ATV (pictured) on a rural property that she drove to the home of a local resident, who then escorted her to where SES crews were set up.
Detective Jason Shepard said Ms. Mitchell became “disoriented” and walked deeper into the bushland for days before finding an ATV on a rural property.
The mother of four drove the vehicle back toward a road and encountered a local landowner.
The local then drove Mrs. Mitchell to where the SES search crews were positioned at the rest area.
“She told me she struggled to find small amounts of fresh water to drink and even had to rely on puddles to drink from,” Insp Shepard said.
“She clearly became disoriented because she didn’t believe she had been gone for 7 days.”
‘Conditions ranged from extreme heat to quite cool valleys – and for her to be missing in the bush for seven days is a fantastic result given the elements and the risk from wildlife, including snakes.
“I can’t quantify the distance, but her persistence and determination not to give up is credit to her.”
Police said she was found with scratches all over her body and had managed to stay hydrated by drinking water from puddles.
They said she did incredibly well at survival since she was not trained as a survivalist.
“The longer you’re there, that can lead to more illness,” Insp Shepard said.
“She’s a mother of four. She is by no means a trained survivalist, the fact that she has done so well in the bush is a credit to her.’
Ambulance personnel have taken her to hospital where she will be checked.
The mother of four had scratches all over her body and was taken by paramedics to hospital where she will be checked
Detective Jason Shepard (pictured) said Ms Mitchell became ‘disoriented’ and spent days walking deeper into the bushland