Days after they became lost while out on a walk in the Maine woods, a man passed away and his wife was found. Authorities believe that the woman may have been saved by her dog, which kept her warm during the bitterly cold weather.
Last Sunday, John Helmstadter, 82, and Pamela Helmstadter, 72, took their dogs for a walk in the wooded area behind their house in Alexander, Maine.
However, when they veered off one of the trails and John Helmstadter fell and was unable to get back up, what had been intended to be a leisurely walk along a system of trails became disastrous. They couldn’t call for help because neither of them had a cell phone.
According to a news statement from the Maine Game Wardens, Pamela Helmstadter went to seek assistance but “got disoriented in the woods and could not get home.”
She was found by the Maine Game Wardens and warden K9s on Thursday, more than a mile from her home, after spending four nights in the woods. She was alive but hypothermic. According to authorities, her husband was discovered dead 200 yards from her.
“Pamela was found severely hypothermic but alert with her dog by her side,” the Maine Game Wardens stated. “Her body temperature was 90.7 when she was found, but she was able to discuss what had occurred.”
For observation, she was sent to a hospital. According to Accuweather, the temperature dropped as low as 26 degrees Fahrenheit at night during the days the couple was trapped in the woods.
According to Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife communications director Mark Latti, the couple’s dog may have saved her life because wardens noticed that the dog was very protective of her and would sleep on top of her chest.
Sgt. Josh Beal of the Maine Warden Service told Portland station WMTW that the dog would likely do the same thing to stay warm at night.
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She told officials that until Thursday, when she heard the Warden Service Airplane circle over her five times, she had given up on ever being located.
The couple’s neighbor, who keeps an eye on them, reported them missing to authorities on Wednesday, sparking a hunt for them.
