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Maine man dead, wife rescued after four days lost in woods
A walk in the woods turned deadly after the husband fell and injured himself.
A casual walk with their dogs turned deadly last week when a husband and wife became lost in the woods of Maine.
According to a statement from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife shared with the Boston Globe, a 72-year-old Maine woman was rescued while her 82-year-old husband was found dead after spending four nights in the woods.
The woman may be alive thanks to one of her dogs, who laid on her to keep her warm throughout the ordeal, officials said.
According to the Globe, Pamela Helmstadter was found around 2:30 p.m. on Thursday in a forest more than a mile from her home in Alexander, Maine. Helmstadter and her husband John set out for a hike with their two dogs on Oct. 13 in a network of trails behind their home.
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The Globe reported that the couple had wandered off a trail when John Helmstadter fell and couldn’t stand up again. Neither had a cell phone, so Pamela Helmstadter went for help but got lost.
A concerned call from the couple’s neighbor alerted authorities. The neighbor noticed a package on the couple’s porch Tuesday and brought it inside but noticed the next day that it remained untouched, the Globe reported. The neighbor found it odd that they had not seen the couple despite one of their dogs returning home.
Game wardens and officials from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office began searching Wednesday night and were later joined by Maine Search and Rescue dogs and the Maine Forest Service.
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Pamela Hemstadter told officials she had given up hope of rescue before she heard the Warden Service airplane circling overhead Thursday.
The Globe reports that Pamela Hemstadter was “severely hypothermic” when she was found but was alert and able to talk to rescuers. She had her remaining dog by her side.
The Globe reports that her husband’s body was found about a half-hour after his wife, located about 200 yards away.
According to WBRC 6 News, Sgt. Josh Beal of the Maine Warden Service said the couple’s dog may have helped save Pamela Hemstadter’s life. Her body had a temperature of 90.7 degrees when found after surviving in the rain and cool temperatures.
“When the K-9 team located her, her dog was being very protective of her and even laid down on top of her on her chest. It sounds like that’s what the dog would do at night, as well, to help keep her warm,” Beal told WBRC 6 News.
Downeast EMS took her to Calais Community Hospital for observation.
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