German lost in Australian outback 'beyond grateful' to be found
She was spotted by a driver and airlifted to a hospital in Perth, where she is recovering.Ms Wilga thanked the medical staff, German consulate and all the people who had helped search for her, in a statement to Western Australia Police posted on Instagram."I want to express a huge thank you from the bottom of my heart – a thank you that truly comes from the depth of my soul," she said."Some people might wonder why I even left my car, even though I had water, food, and clothing there," Ms Wilga added.She said she "lost control of the car and rolled down a slope", hitting her head "significantly" in the subsequent crash. "As a result of the accident, I left my car in a state of confusion and got lost," she added."Previously, I didn't know where my place was in a culture on the other side of the world to my own, but now, I feel a part of it. I am deeply impressed by the courage, helpfulness, and warmth that has been shown to me here."Western Australia has taught me what it really means to be part of a true community. Here, humanity, solidarity, and care for one another are what truly matter – and in the end, that's what counts most."She was found walking barefoot by motorist Tania Henley - whom Ms Wilga described as her "saviour and angel" - more than 30km away from where she had abandoned her van, on a scarcely used track north of Beacon.
Ms Henley told Australia's public broadcaster ABC that she saw Ms Wilga waving by the side of the road, and she appeared to be in a "fragile state", suffering from exhaustion, dehydration, insect bites and an injured foot. "Everything in this bush is very prickly. I just can't believe that she survived. She had no shoes on, she'd wrapped her foot up," Ms Henley said.Before her rescue, Ms Wilga was last seen at a general store in the town of Beacon, Western Australia, in her van on 29 June."I am certain that I survived only thanks to this incredible outpouring of support," she said."The thought of all the people who believed in me, searched for me, and kept hoping for me gave me the strength to carry on during my darkest moments," she said. The rescue was down to "sheer luck", acting police inspector Jessica Securo said in a news conference.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Two women rescued from river by firefighters
Two women – one unconscious – were rescued from a river in Nottingham after getting into trouble in the water. Nottingham Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) said it went to Gunthorpe Lock at about 22:30 BST on Tuesday after receiving reports of a woman struggling in the arrival, one woman could be seen in the river and firefighters entered the water and brought her back to safety, the service inflatable boat was deployed to search for the second woman who was found unconscious by firefighters, but after treatment from East Midlands Ambulance Service she gained consciousness, NFRS added. Chris Navin from NFRS said: "I am relieved that this incident didn't end in tragedy, but it very easily could have."Open water may look calm, especially late at night, but it can also be unpredictable. We advise that when around any type of water, you are aware of your surroundings and don't go too close to the edge."If you see someone in trouble in water, never go in after them. Call 999, give them your exact location, and leave it to the professionals – this way, you're not risking your own life too."
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Inside Peter Falconio murder mystery after killer's death as Brit's parents reveal hope £250k reward will help find body
FOR an agonising 24 years, Peter Falconio's elderly parents have clung to the hope that his killer might finally reveal where their son's body is hidden. But when monster Bradley Murdoch, 67, died in a prison hospital this week, so too did any chance of him admitting what he did with their beloved boy's remains. 10 10 Heartbroken Luciano and Joan Falconio just want to lay Peter to rest back home in Huddersfield, West Yorks, where he belongs. Instead, they bear the pain of knowing he is likely buried in an unknown spot, amid a 1,200 square mile area of Australia's vast and largely uncharted Outback. Speaking from their home yesterday following Murdoch's death from throat cancer, Luciano, 83, who has three other sons, said: 'He's gone now. "I don't feel any sadness or hate, I am a generous person. But he should have admitted his crime. 'He is the only one who knows where my son is. 'I don't think he will have shared anything with police, but he may have told someone. I really hope so.' Luciano added: 'I am in pain for my wife. I hope I find my son, for both of us. We need an end while we are still here.' Finding Peter's body would not only help bring peace to his parents. It would also end two decades of speculation about his murder. Ever since his girlfriend Joanne Lees told police in Australia's Northern Territory how she was tied up after Peter, 28, was shot in the head on the Stuart Highway near remote Barrow Creek in 2001, this case has generated controversy. 'Weight's been lifted' The calm demeanour of Joanne, now 51, when she spoke to officers led some people to suspect she had somehow been involved in her boyfriend's death. Joanne Lees breaks down reliving her escape from Peter Falconio's killer And there were numerous fake 'sightings' of Peter in the wake of his killing that only increased the pain for his family. Questions were raised about what motive Murdoch could possibly have had for shooting a stranger dead at point blank range. Plus, there were discrepancies in Joanne's account of her terrifying ordeal at the killer's hands. Murdoch went to his grave maintaining he was innocent. And if you were to believe the glowing tribute from his family last night, you would think he was a saint. They described him as a 'gentle giant with a heart of gold' who 'earned the affectionate title of uncle from many indigenous prisoners.' That would be the same Bradley Murdoch who had a tattoo of an Aboriginal man hanging from a noose and was convicted of shooting at people celebrating at an Australian rules football match in 1995. Police, prosecutors, the jury, Peter's parents and many others who had the misfortune of crossing paths with Murdoch have no doubt that he was guilty of the British man's slaying, regardless of what he claimed. Luciano and Joan Falconio made their feelings clear when they said last night: 'Upon hearing that Bradley John Murdoch had died, our first feeling was of relief. It's like a weight that's been lifted.' Born in Geraldton, north of Perth, Murdoch worked as a mechanic in Broome on the northern coast of Western Australia. Peter and Joanne, who had been touring Australia in a VW Kombi campervan, had the misfortune of being on the same road as Murdoch He was a self-confessed drug smuggler who would put amphetamines into his tea to keep him awake as he transported cannabis long distances across Australia — a move which reportedly made him increasingly paranoid. In 2003, he was cleared of raping a 12-year-old girl, who prosecutors had claimed he abducted with her mother 'for insurance' as cops probing Peter Falconio's murder closed in. Justice for the killing finally caught up with him in 2005. Peter and Joanne, who had been touring Australia in a VW Kombi campervan, had the misfortune of being on the same road as Murdoch north of Alice Springs on July 14, 2001. He flagged Peter down and told him there were sparks coming from the old vehicle, before shooting him dead. 10 10 He tied Joanne up at gunpoint and bundled her into his truck. But she was able to escape into the pitch black Outback, hiding for almost five hours until she flagged down a passing vehicle. Snipers on rooftops Senior Sergeant Erica Gibson, the first police officer to speak to Joanne about the terrifying ordeal, described her as 'absolutely shell-shocked' but not 'hysterical or overtly emotional'. She said that victims 'express their trauma and emotion in a different way, so it wasn't for me to judge how she reacted'. Joanne's appearance at a press conference about the attacks, at which she wore a tight-fitting Cheeky Monkey T-shirt, led some people to suggest she was not really mourning. Her version of events was not helped by a couple of shopkeepers claiming they had seen Peter buy a Mars bar a week after the murder. But Joanne's description of the killer matched that of Murdoch and his white Toyota. This placed him on a list of 100 suspects and made the police nervous when they went to arrest him in 2002 for the alleged rape of the 12- year-old. They considered him to be so dangerous that they placed snipers on rooftops and under vehicles with their rifles trained on the car park of a Woolworths where Murdoch was shopping in Port Augusta. In the back of the fiend's Toyota pick-up, the police found handcuffs made from cable ties, a pistol, gloves, a shotgun, crossbow and a rifle with a telescopic sight. He was found not guilty of the alleged rape, but detectives had much better evidence to link him to Peter's murder. At his trial in 2005, the jury heard how Murdoch's DNA was found on Joanne's T-shirt. CCTV footage also showed he had been at Alice Springs prior to Peter's murder, and other witnesses put him in the area of the crime. His defence tried to cast doubt by claiming Joanne had slept with another man a few months prior to the killing. But she insisted: 'I did love Pete with all my heart and, when that happened, I did overstep the boundaries of friendship, but it made me love Pete even more and value what we did have.' The jury took just eight hours to find Murdoch guilty, and he was sentenced to at least 28 years in prison. A year later, Joanne published a book titled No Turning Back, in which she gave her account of the traumatic events. She said in an interview with The Times: 'Others have their opinions about that night, about what happened, about what I did or didn't do. 'But they weren't there. They can never know what I saw, the terror I felt, or what Pete and I meant to each other.'' The night that Joanne escaped and we lost Peter, [Murdoch] lost control and as a result of that he felt wronged and angry. To gain some control was to never co-operate and have that power over the Falconio family. Colleen Gwynne, Lead Investigator It didn't stop the doubters. A four-part Channel 4 documentary titled Murder In The Outback: The Falconio And Lees Mystery questioned Murdoch's conviction in 2020. It repeated claims Peter may be alive. 'Future taken away' And it revealed that truck driver Vince Millar, who found Joanne by the side of the road, had seen a red car in the vicinity. He speculated that Peter's body might have been in this unidentified vehicle. 10 10 10 None of this has changed the mind of the detectives who knew Murdoch. The lead investigator in the case, Colleen Gwynne, said last night that she had suspected the killer would take his secrets to the grave. She added: 'I'm not surprised, just disappointed. 'I always said I don't think he'll ever speak to police. 'The night that Joanne escaped and we lost Peter, he lost control and felt wronged and angry. 'To gain some control was to never co-operate and have that power over the Falconio family.' There is still a £243,650 reward available to anyone with information that leads to the discovery of Peter's body. It is possible that Murdoch bragged to a friend or cellmate — or that a former associate might have an idea where he buried the remains. The police said in a statement: 'The Northern Territory Police Force remains committed to resolving this final piece of the investigation. "We continue to appeal to anyone who may have information that could lead us to Peter Falconio's remains to come forward, no matter how small the detail may seem.' Peter is not the only person to have gone missing in the Outback. And he may not have been Murdoch's only victim. Today, though, Luciano and Joan want to forget about the killer, saying: 'We are only forced to think about him now that he's died. 'We don't want to let him ruin our lives more than he already has. 'The awful thing is, our family's future with Peter was cruelly taken away. 'Today we instead focus on the three children we have left and our grandchildren.' 10
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Four words clever woman screamed that saved her life during terrifying abduction by stranger
Terrifying footage captured the moment a woman was abducted by a stranger - only for her quick thinking actions to save her from his clutches. Surveillance video from June 29 shows Michael Tundidor, 31, trying to force the woman into a pickup truck in St. Augustine, Florida, after he robbed the store she works at, per officials. The woman, who has not been named, had reportedly tried to stop Tundidor from leaving the smoke shop with stolen items, including a jar of THC cigarettes and a vape worth about $270. Tundidor grabbed her by the neck as she stood in the doorframe to block his exit and dragged her towards his vehicle before attempting to push her inside. But the woman screamed 'Get off me. Get off me. Help!' and fought to free herself from his grip, getting away long enough to make a run for it and catch someone's attention. 'The victim in this situation did everything right – scream/yell, fight, attract attention,' the St Johns County Sheriff's Office wrote on Facebook. As she struggled with the would-be kidnapper, the woman's screams and alerted Kelly Eason, who was nearby and came to her rescue. 'He grabbed her again and tried to get her back in the truck, and I believe because she wouldn't quit fighting, and I was there screaming as well, that he got scared off,' Eason told News 4 Jax. Eason then called police as Tundidor abandoned the kidnapping attempt, got in the vehicle and fled the scene. 'A 911 caller advised a male subject was attempting to force a female inside a vehicle outside in the parking lot,' police said. 'Deputies learned the male suspect committed a robbery inside the business, then forcefully removed a female employee from the store, and dragged her outside where he began to push her into his vehicle. 'The victim fought her attacker and attracted the attention of a nearby citizen who came to her aid.' Police later found Tundidor driving recklessly about 10 miles from the store and arrested him. He was reportedly driving a car that was stolen from a dealership in Jacksonville. Tundidor was charged with kidnapping, robbery, driving under the influence and grand theft auto. Law enforcement experts say that people should create a distraction to alert others to deter would-be abductors. They also advise that people resist the attacker by any means possible, including kicking and screaming.
