Taken?.. Lost?…Found Safe & Sound
June 26, 2009
6 Year Old Alexander Suddeath and 4year old Heidi Suddeath were found yesterday afternoon by searchers after spending 20 hours lost in the Pisgah National Forest. They had been on a family outing when they ran ahead of the rest the family and became separated. Officials had issued an amber alert fearing the possibility the children had been abducted because they were last seen near the parking area.
The ordeal began about 2:30 p.m. Wednesday while Rick and Michelle Suddeath, their 15-year-old daughter and the two younger children were on a daytrip to the mountain from their home in Kingsport, Tenn.
Officials said the parents stopped to take pictures in a clearing called the old Cloudland Hotel site just off the mountain’s main parking area in Pisgah National Forest. “They turned their backs, and the kids, being kids, scurried off,” District Ranger Tina Tilley said. The children wandered along the Appalachian Trail and then cut down into a steep cove, she said.
Steep terrain as well as overnight temperatures in the 40’s seemed to stack the odds against the children if they were even still in the area. Searchers continued their efforts and were rewarded with the first piece of hard evidence that they were on the right trail when small pair of crocs was discovered. This discovery allowed searchers to shrink the search area and shortly after searchers located the children relatively unharmed.
“I know they suffered because when we got here this morning, it was cold,” Benfield said. “So for them to make it through the night was miraculous. They were cold, dehydrated, scratched up very badly.”
Rescuers gave the children water, Nutter Butters, oatmeal cookies and peanut butter crackers. They then took turns carrying the children up the steep mountainside, a journey of a little less than a mile that took about an hour and a half.
“It’s remarkable how they came through that, to be that little and the terrain as hard as it was,” Washburn said.
Citizens Times
A tip of the hat to the rescuers, many of them volunteers, that go out and search and help us in our time of need.
Moose Droppings is a place that chronicles my journey, Ill explore new places and ideas Ill learn new things and Ill teach the things Ive learned to others. Join me on the adventure and hopefully it will help you in your outdoor endeavors.
