A North Carolina resident was shockingly discovered alive 9 months after she went lacking and her automobile was found deserted close to California’s Demise Valley Nationwide Park.
“The Inyo County Sheriff’s Office is relieved to announce that Kelsey Pittman has been located alive in the state of Colorado,” the Inyo County Sheriff’s Workplace mentioned on Fb Tuesday.
Police didn’t present particulars about how Pittman vanished or the place she had spent the previous 9 months earlier than she was found three states away.
“Out of respect for her privacy and that of her family, no further details will be released,” authorities added.
Pittman’s household reported the 33-year-old lacking in November 2024, which is when she had contact with legislation enforcement in Utah, the Inyo County Sheriff’s Workplace mentioned in Might.
Deputies and the Demise Valley Nationwide Park Service launched a months-long seek for Pittman after her automobile was present in a distant space positioned off Freeway 190 on Feb. 9, 2025.
The secluded spot is non-public property known as “Slab City,” which is positioned exterior of the park’s boundaries and “commonly used by campers during the winter months,” in accordance with police.
Nonetheless, authorities weren’t capable of finding any “additional physical evidence” relating to her disappearance after floor and aerial searches.
“Upon arrival, deputies confirmed the vehicle—a 2009 Chevrolet HHR—was registered to Kelsey Pittman,” the Inyo County Sheriff’s Workplace added of their current assertion on Tuesday. “A thorough search of both the vehicle and the surrounding area, however, revealed no sign of Pittman. This led to the initiation of an extensive missing person investigation and search effort.”
Between February and June 2025, a collection of drone groups, cadaver canine handlers and volunteer search and rescue crews seemed for Pittman however got here up empty till Tuesday.
Pittman is one among a collection of lacking individuals who had been discovered alive in sudden methods in current months.
Hiker Tiffany Slaton was present in Might 2025, three weeks after she went lacking in California’s jap Sierra Nevada mountains.
Slaton was caught in a blizzard and survived by taking shelter in an unlocked cabin at a closed resort.
The hiker survived by consuming leeks earlier than the resort proprietor found her and fed her a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
