Local news
A walk in the woods turned fatal when the husband fell and was injured.
Pamela Helmstadter, 72, of Alexander, Maine, is rescued by Maine game wardens from the woods about a mile from her home. Flyer photo courtesy of Maine Warden Service
Last week, an accidental walk with their dogs turned deadly when a husband and wife became lost in the Maine woods.
According to a statement from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife shared with: Boston GlobeA 72-year-old Maine woman was rescued and her 82-year-old husband was found dead after four nights in the woods.
Officials said the woman may have survived thanks to one of the dogs, which lay on top of her to keep her warm throughout the ordeal.
According to GlobePamela Helmstadter was found Thursday around 2:30 p.m. in the woods, more than a mile from her home in Alexander, Maine. Helmstadter and her husband John went hiking with their two dogs on the network of trails behind their house on October 13.
The Globe reported that the pair strayed off the trail when John Helmstadter fell and could no longer get up. Neither of them had a cell phone, so Pamela Helmstadter went for help but got lost.
A concerned call from the couple’s neighbor alerted authorities. A neighbor noticed the package on the couple’s porch on Tuesday and brought it inside, but the next day she noticed it was untouched. Globe reported. The neighbor found it strange that they hadn’t seen the couple even though one of their dogs was returning home.
Game wardens and officials from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office began the search Wednesday evening and were later joined by Maine Search and Rescue Dogs and the Maine Forest Service.
Pamela Hemstadter told officials she had given up hope of rescue before she heard a State Police plane circling overhead on Thursday.
The Globe reports that Pamela Hemstadter was “severely hypothermic” when she was found, but was conscious and able to talk to rescuers. She had a dog with her, which remained alive.
The Globe reports that her husband’s body was found about half an hour after his wife, about 200 meters away.
According to WBRC 6 News, Sgt. Josh Beal of the Maine Warden Service said the couple’s dog may have saved Pamela Hemstadter’s life. When her body was found, surviving in the rain and freezing temperatures, the temperature was 30.7 degrees.
“When the K-9 team located her, her dog was very protective of her and even laid on her chest. It appears the dog was also doing this at night to keep warm,” Beal told WBRC 6 News.
Downeast EMS took her to Calais Community Hospital for observation.
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Beth Treffeisen is a general assignment reporter at Boston.com, focusing on local news, crime and business in the New England region.
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