69-year-old missing in woods for 8 days is found a mile from home, Virginia cops say
A Virginia woman was found in the woods after missing for eight days, officials said.
Despite the days-long search, rescuers didn’t find 69-year-old Aletha Gee Walton far from where she had last been seen. She was less than a mile away from her house, according to a news release from Prince Edward County.
Searchers found Walton sitting on a stump singing “Amazing Grace” in the woods, her family told WVTR.
“This has been incredibly challenging, but we are thrilled to be able to provide the family the best possible outcome,” Prince Edward County Sheriff Tony Epps said in the news release.
Walton went missing from her home near Simplicity on Sunday, May 15, according to the release. An official search began on May 17 when authorities were notified of her disappearance.
As days dragged on, the search team consisted of state agencies, multiple sheriff’s offices and search equipment including K9s and aircrafts, according to the release.
The rising temperatures made finding Walton even more urgent, Epps said in a statement on May 20.
Two officers and a K9 from the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources spotted Walton, who was “aware and alert,” at 10:52 p.m. on May 23. She was immediately given water and transported from the scene for medical treatment, according to a news release from the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources.
Walton’s family told WVTR they were relieved when she was found.
“Amazing Grace. God was with her the whole time,” Sandra Knight, Walton’s sister, told WVTR. “We just broke down and cried, all of us. We didn’t know what to think. We thought somebody had kidnapped her or whatever. We didn’t know what had happened.”
“Finding Mrs. Walton took the combined efforts of today’s searchers and all of the ground and air support we have had from the beginning,” Epps said in the Prince Edward County release.
Simplicity is about 72 miles southwest of Richmond.
This story was originally published May 24, 2022 at 1:07 PM with the headline "69-year-old missing in woods for 8 days is found a mile from home, Virginia cops say."
