68-year-old Dianna Bedwell and her husband, Cecil Knutson, just wanted to avoid traffic on their way to their son's home in Palm Springs by taking a shortcut through the Los Coyotes Indian Reservation near Warner Springs. However, they soon became disoriented and hopelessly lost on the dirt trail, miles away from the nearest road with no cell signal or any way to call for help.
The couple was missing for two weeks as their family back home called for desperate searches to find them. On Sunday, Bedwell was finally found clinging to life, and even crediting her husband for helping her survive. Sadly, Knutson, 79, did not survive.
Bedwell was suffering from severe dehydration and was lapsing in and out of consciousness as she was brought a nearby hospital receive emergency treatment. She was said to have survived on rainwater which they collected in cups, oranges, and a pie that they had in their car.
As an elderly diabetic who is dependent on insulin, doctors and rescuers said it was a miracle that she had even survived the ordeal at all.
"It would be difficult for someone in good health to survive being in the wild for that long, let alone someone like her," said Sheriff's Lt Ken Nelson.
Officials have decided to let Bedwell's family break the news to her about her husband.
The couple's 2014 White Hyundai Sonata was spotted by ATV riders, who were surprised to find a car in the area. The dirt patch the couple somehow ended up on is even called "a road to nowhere" by experience off-roaders and rangers.
"They were really off the beaten path. We were really surprised that the vehicle they were driving, a sedan, was even able to get out there. It was so rural that it took two weeks for even off-roaders to find them," Lt Nelson said.
Doctors say that the couple's diabetes may have had something to do with their disorientation when they were trying to find a shortcut to their son's home for a Mother's Day dinner following a night at the Valley View Casino in Valley Center.
Bedwell remains in critical condition and has not yet been able to speak to authorities aside from a 10 minute interview.
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