Missing woman found alive nine months after disappearing in remote area
A woman who vanished near Death Valley National Park in the US desert almost nine months ago has been found alive.
Kelsey Pittman, 33, disappeared back in November 2024 - on the border of California and Nevada, reports the Mirror.
This was when the North Carolina native was last known to be in contact with police in Utah, to the Inyo County Sheriff's Office (ICSO) stated back in May.
Her car, a 2009 Chevrolet HHR, was discovered months earlier on February 9 in a remote and unforgiving stretch of desert off Highway 190, in an area known as The Pads or Slab City, just outside the scorching boundaries of Death Valley National Park.
The area is known for its isolation and brutal terrain. Officers searched the vehicle and the harsh surroundings, but Kelsey was nowhere to be seen.
According to a statement: "Between February and June 2025, ICSO coordinated with multiple law enforcement agencies, drone teams, cadaver dog handlers, and volunteer search and rescue crews. Despite exhaustive ground and aerial searches, no additional physical evidence was found at the site."
The Inyo County Sheriff's Office (ICSO) confirmed on Tuesday, July 22 Kelsey had been located alive in the state of Colorado.
A statement read: "The Inyo County Sheriff's Office is relieved to announce that Kelsey Pittman has been located alive in the state of Colorado.
"Out of respect for her privacy and that of her family, no further details will be released."
Every year, more than 600,000 people are reported missing in the US, according to the Department of Justice. Most are found quickly, yet some disappear without a trace.
Cases like Kelsey's are relatively unusual given the amount of time that passed between her reported disappearance and subsequent discovery. Hopes of finding a missing person dwindle as time goes on, particularly in cases where the individual is vulnerable.
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Such occurrences are not unheard of, though, giving hope to families around the world still waiting for news of long vanished loved ones.
Mum-of-two Brenda Heist from Pennsylvania simply vanished in 2002 during a bitter divorce. As the years rolled by, her family feared the worst, BBC News previously reported.
By 2010, her estranged husband had her declared legally dead and even remarried. In 2013, Brenda resurfaced, having spent 11 years living as a vagrant.
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