Missing ASU Student Lauren Weinberg Survives 10-Days Snowridden

An Arizona State University student missing for 10 days was located Wednesday in good condition in a remote part of east-central Arizona, after surviving on candy bars and melted snow.

Lauren Elizabeth Weinberg, a 23-year-old senior at ASU, was found in southeaste Coconino County just before noon, Sheriff's spokesman Gerry Blair said.

She was cold, wet, and hungry but ecstatic to be found, myFOXphoenix.com reported.

It just so happened that U.S. Forest Service employees on snowmobiles were checking on gates in remote areas when they came across Weinberg. She was taken to the Flagstaff Medical Center.

Lauren Weinberg decided to drive the north and easte parts of the state during the worst possible time -- a massive winter storm moved in on the Dec. 12, blanketing the north country with feet of snow.

"She told us she left on a paved road out of Winslow that tus into a dirt road, which makes sense cause that would be that Forest Road 34," says Blair.

What Weinberg did not know is that she ventured out onto an unpaved forest road that is nearly impossible to navigate in the winter. Her car became stuck, so she sat there for days and days with nothing more than candy bars and a bottle of water.

Over the period of 10 days, Weinberg portioned out two candy bars and crushed snow into a water bottle, then set it on top of her car so the sun could melt it into drinking water.

Weather forecasters and authorities said her survival was remarkable, given the more than 2 feet of snow in the area and temperatures that dipped to near zero some of the nights.

"I am so thankful to be alive and warm," Weinberg said in a news release from Flagstaff Medical Center. "Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers, because they worked. There were times I was afraid but mostly I had faith I would be found."

 

Missing ASU Student Survives 10-Days Snowridden: MyFoxPHOENIX.com