Missing 73-year-old found after spending 5 days in Colorado wilderness, officials say
A 73-year-old woman was found after she was missing in the remote Colorado wilderness for five days, officials said.
A group of first responders and volunteers — some of them trained high school seniors and recent graduates — searched for Greda Machuga for more than three days and finally found her the morning of Aug. 7 in the White River National Forest, officials said in a news release.
Machuga’s family reported her missing when she didn’t return from running errands Aug. 2, officials said.
She didn’t have her cellphone with her, her family said in a Facebook group they started dedicated to spreading the word about her disappearance.
According to the missing person bulletin, Machuga was last seen driving her 2009 silver Lexus R350 SUV not too far from where she lives in Westminster, about 10 miles northwest of Denver.
She was found more than 150 miles southwest of the area, just south of Rifle, officials said.
Two brothers visiting from Oklahoma thought they spotted the car and snapped a photo of it to confirm with law enforcement — and drove back up a “treacherous” road to start looking for her, according to a statement her family posted in the Facebook group.
The family thanked the brothers and those who helped them search while they waited for police to arrive, as well as the search and rescue volunteers who contributed their time searching for her.
“Without you she may have never been found alive,” the statement says. “All the amazing people who didn’t even know Greda, for keeping an eye out for her and her car and offering help and resources. All of you have restored our faith in humanity.”
After first responders found her, medical teams treated her and transported her out of the remote area, officials said.
“Greda is doing really well considering all that she’s been through the past 5 days,” family member Alicia McKee wrote in the Facebook group. “She’s rehydrating and resting…. It’s an absolute miracle! This was the most amazing outcome!”
She thanked those who offered to help in the search.
“This was the most beautiful story of love and effort, community response and collaboration,” someone said on Facebook. “Love our little western slope. Greda — you had everyone with you.”
This story was originally published August 8, 2023 at 3:41 PM with the headline "Missing 73-year-old found after spending 5 days in Colorado wilderness, officials say."
