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ATV Riders Find Missing Minnesota Woman Nearly Submerged in Mud After Days

The rescue underscores the vital role of bystanders and volunteer responders in remote rural searches.

Overview

  • Kathryn Woessner, 68, who had been reported missing on June 3, was found Saturday nearly submerged in a roughly two‑foot mud puddle on an unmarked northern Minnesota trail.
  • Two ATV riders, Adam Sandbeck and Mike Gravalin, pulled her from the mud, called 911 and gave rescuers GPS coordinates that led to emergency crews.
  • Woessner told her rescuers she slipped from a stuck minivan and could not get out of mud she described as “like quicksand,” and she was treated at a local hospital for dehydration and severe sunburn.
  • Authorities canceled the missing‑person alert after her recovery and said local law enforcement is investigating how she became stranded about 80–100 miles from her home.
  • Sheriffs and rescuers say the case highlights how luck, bystander action and volunteer EMS often determine outcomes on remote trails and could prompt a review of search practices for vulnerable missing people.