31-year-old woman lost in Outer Banks woods saved after 2-day search

BUXTON, N.C. — A 31-year-old woman was rescued after a search to find her in a patch of thick North Carolina woods spanned two days.

The U.S. Coast Guard and other emergency responders launched a search-and-rescue operation at around 9 p.m. Friday after the woman became lost during a walk near the Buxton Woods Reserve near the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, the park service said in a statement.

The Coast Guard called in a helicopter to search for her by air in the dark, and she was briefly spotted before disappearing again, according to rangers.

The search was suspended until Saturday morning when a ranger saw her walking near the National Seashore’s administrative housing at about 7:30 a.m. She was brought to safety, officials said.

The Dare County Sheriff’s Office, Hatteras Island Rescue Squad and the state Wildlife Resources Commission also assisted in the search.

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