A Texas college student got stranded for five days near the Grand Canyon. She said she got so desperate she made farewell videos to her family.
The student, 24-year-old Amber VanHecke, went on a solo road trip. She then got lost in a remote area. Fortunately, Arizona authorities found her days later.
VanHecke helped police track her down after she posted on Facebook a status about going to a hiking trail. VanHecke also posted about getting to the wrong area after her maps app led her to the middle of nowhere. She no longer had gas when she wound up in the wrong area.
The student visited Good Morning America and she said she tried to get the attention of a truck by chasing it down but she was not able to get any help. She added that she panicked, cried, and sobbed and was a mess. Nobody told police she went missing. She said she had a miscommunication with her family but did not elaborate, The Denver Post said.
She made a lot of ways for people to notice her in hopes of getting rescued. She first spelled out the word "HELP" with rocks. She also made a road barricade in an attempt to alert vehicles. The student sent up a signal flare but all her attempts to be rescued did not work, My San Antonio reported.
The student eventually hiked for miles to get to an area with signal. However, the authorities never got her location due to the sudden drop of the call. Arizona Department of Public Safety said they found he abandoned car via a helicopter. When authorities saw the car, they found a note from VanHecke. She wrote on the note where she is.
Authorities took her to an area hospital where she received treatment for exposure to the elements. Meanwhile, Vanhecke, who is currently back in Texas, set up a GoFundMe page for her hospital bills and for her car.
