A woman who went missing in the woods of Maine was found being protected by her dog, Lucy. Pamela Helmstadter and her husband John Helmstadter, both 72, took their dogs on a walk on a trail behind their house, and got lost.
They were missing for four days, and were finally located on October 17, 2024. Pamela was found alive, but John’s body was discovered about 200 yards from where she was, per authorities.
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Authorities shared a news release with People on Monday, October 21, 2024, in which they detailed the condition of Pamela when they found her. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife said she was hypothermic, but her dog was right by her side. Rescuers found her more than a mile from her home in Alexander, Maine.
Authorities said “during their walk they had gotten off one of the trails, and then John fell and was unable to get up. Neither of them had cell phones with them, and Pamela went to get help, but got disoriented in the woods and could not get home.”
A neighbor had notified authorities on October 16 after noticing a package she had taken inside the couple’s home a day prior was still in the same place. According to WMTW 8, the neighbor had also noticed one of the couple’s dogs had returned to the house, but Pamela and John were still missing, along with Lucy.
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“When the K-9 team located her, her dog was being very protective of her and even laid down on top of her on her chest,” Maine Warden Service Sgt. Josh Beal said. “It sounds like that’s what the dog would do at night as well to help keep her warm.”
Pamela reflected on her days in the woods and the loss of her husband. “It’s a lot of sadness and grief,” she said. “He was loving. We were married for 31 years, and we had a good life together.”
Concerning her rescue, Pamela had heard the Warden Service’s airplane circling over her, which is what gave her hope. “I knew if I wasn’t found that day, I wasn’t going to survive,” she shared.
