Texas

Denton Woman Stranded Near Grand Canyon for 5 Days

Arizona authorities say a 24-year-old Texas woman spent five days stranded in a remote area of northern Arizona before she was rescued on Friday.

The state Department of Public Safety says Denton resident Amber VanHecke, a student at the University of North Texas, was driving near the south rim of the Grand Canyon when her car ran out of gas.

VanHecke's mother, Annette Davis, told NBC 5 she knew something was wrong when her daughter's Facebook posts suddenly stopped.

VanHecke had no cell phone signal, but eventually walked several miles before reaching a place where she could call 911 after five days of being stranded.

DPS says the call dropped before police could identify her location but that they were able to spot her abandoned car using a search helicopter.

VanHecke said she spelled out "HELP" with rocks and had left notes detailing where she was headed in search of cell phone signal.

Police say VanHecke was prepared with enough food but was running out of water the day she was found.

"I'm really proud of her for keeping her wits about her, being in a situation like that, not knowing if she was going to live or die out there," said Davis.

VanHecke explained what happened in a recent Facebook post:

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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