Notes lead rescuers to woman lost in northern Arizona for five days

PHOENIX — A woman’s resourcefulness and determination kept her alive for five days while she was lost in northern Arizona last week.

The Arizona Department of Public Safety found 24-year-old Amber Vanhecke on March 17, five days after she ran out of gas driving in a remote part of the Havasupai Reservation near the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

Vanhecke, a Texas resident, was out of food and nearly out of water when she was finally able to get a 911 call through to authorities.

“She was smart and prepared,” trooper paramedic and crew member Edgar Bissonette said in the release. “She had food and water in her vehicle for the trip. Even though she was down to her last bit of water, it kept her going.”

She had left a large help sign near the car and a note informing her would-be rescuers that she was going to walk in hopes of getting a cell signal.

Vanhecke was spotted a short time later along the road.

“When she left the vehicle, she left notes so we knew where to find her,” Bissonette said. “She did everything right.”

Vanhecke was found by a DPS helicopter along Anita Road between Indian Route 18 and US 64. Her car was found on the same road.

Vanhecke was taken to a medical center in Flagstaff for treatment.

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