UPDATE - FOUND & RESCUED: URGENT - Help needed in Robbinsville, NC for child search & rescue
- Thread starter octoruss
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True fly
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UPDATE: June 2, 2017 9:52AM - FOUND AND RESCUED
Maddie and her grandmother have been found in the woods. They are ok. No other information as to what happened or how they were found has yet been made available, but I will post additional information as it becomes available. On behalf of the Anderson and Plonski families, I wanted to extend my deep, deep and sincere gratitude to everyone - known (Allen!) and unknown- who assisted. Words cannot express how amazing it was to see strangers spring into action and support.
Thank God this one had a happy ending!
Maddie and her grandmother have been found in the woods. They are ok. No other information as to what happened or how they were found has yet been made available, but I will post additional information as it becomes available. On behalf of the Anderson and Plonski families, I wanted to extend my deep, deep and sincere gratitude to everyone - known (Allen!) and unknown- who assisted. Words cannot express how amazing it was to see strangers spring into action and support.
Thank God this one had a happy ending!
harryb
Well-Known Member
AWESOME NEWS!!!Here's a post from Maddie's mother:
"Maddie and Chris are safe and I have Maddie in my arms. I cannot thank everyone enough for their shares, prayers, thoughts, and actions. So many people and organizations came to our aid. I will be eternally grateful. I have too many people to thank but you know who you are and I am forever in your debt. Please share this post, so the thousands of people who have been our "wingmen" will know that they are safe and home.
To the Graham County NC Rescue and Police department - I love you, each and every one of you and thank you for your diligence and hard work.
After hiking to one of the falls they got lost and turned around somehow. They hiked till almost dark where they thank god found a shack, a shack that was stocked with some canned food and sleeping bags and a way to start a fire. Both nights were spent there. There are so many angels that were with them, guiding them to that cabin and angels that guided the rescuers to find them today."
"Maddie and Chris are safe and I have Maddie in my arms. I cannot thank everyone enough for their shares, prayers, thoughts, and actions. So many people and organizations came to our aid. I will be eternally grateful. I have too many people to thank but you know who you are and I am forever in your debt. Please share this post, so the thousands of people who have been our "wingmen" will know that they are safe and home.
To the Graham County NC Rescue and Police department - I love you, each and every one of you and thank you for your diligence and hard work.
After hiking to one of the falls they got lost and turned around somehow. They hiked till almost dark where they thank god found a shack, a shack that was stocked with some canned food and sleeping bags and a way to start a fire. Both nights were spent there. There are so many angels that were with them, guiding them to that cabin and angels that guided the rescuers to find them today."
dirkclod
Well-Known Member
Thanks for sharing that 
BigA had text me and asked to post they had been found but you had already .
Great ending !
BigA had text me and asked to post they had been found but you had already .
Great ending !
flightmike
Well-Known Member
great news no matter how they were found, they were found safe and that is what matters.
Thanks for updating this thread. I'm just now (10:31pm) getting home after leaving my house at 4:30am LOL.
It was a great find to say the least. We got to meet the family (some of them just arrived this morning from Florida) and were more than thrilled to give them the good news of the positive find. Seeing this HUGE smiles and eyes pouring tears of joy (actually by several of us to be honest) is why we do this. It's one thing to bring closure to a hurting and discouraged family but to be there to let them know their loved ones are SAFE and SOUND and coming back was one of the most amazing feelings I have been a part of.
They had gotten turned around and walked away from the trail head by several miles. They were found by boots-on-the-ground searchers a long way from where we had been looking.
A HUGE thank you to all who came out and joined the search and those who so graciously provided water and snacks for our search teams. Also THANK YOU to the SC SAR team that drove up this morning from SC with their search K9's. Although the lost hikers were found before we could get K9's in the trails these folks made a long drive and were as excited about the find as anyone else in the group. I look forward to working with you again in the future.
Thanks to all here for the well wishes and the prayers. MANY prayers were answered today.
For future reference if anyone knows of a lost/missing person and you would like to "request" for UAV assistance please don't hesitate to let me know. I am a member of several national and international SAR groups and I will be more than glad to pass the information along to see if we can get more assistance. I can't promise any responses but at least we can try.
Sincerely,
Allen
It was a great find to say the least. We got to meet the family (some of them just arrived this morning from Florida) and were more than thrilled to give them the good news of the positive find. Seeing this HUGE smiles and eyes pouring tears of joy (actually by several of us to be honest) is why we do this. It's one thing to bring closure to a hurting and discouraged family but to be there to let them know their loved ones are SAFE and SOUND and coming back was one of the most amazing feelings I have been a part of.
They had gotten turned around and walked away from the trail head by several miles. They were found by boots-on-the-ground searchers a long way from where we had been looking.
A HUGE thank you to all who came out and joined the search and those who so graciously provided water and snacks for our search teams. Also THANK YOU to the SC SAR team that drove up this morning from SC with their search K9's. Although the lost hikers were found before we could get K9's in the trails these folks made a long drive and were as excited about the find as anyone else in the group. I look forward to working with you again in the future.
Thanks to all here for the well wishes and the prayers. MANY prayers were answered today.
For future reference if anyone knows of a lost/missing person and you would like to "request" for UAV assistance please don't hesitate to let me know. I am a member of several national and international SAR groups and I will be more than glad to pass the information along to see if we can get more assistance. I can't promise any responses but at least we can try.
Sincerely,
Allen
dirkclod
Well-Known Member
Good point stratos. Adding mapping/search skills to us pilots could prove a huge benefit in such situations. Good topic for a whole new thread. I don't have skills in this area but will do research.
