A teenage girl found along a roadside in a remote area of Washington state on Monday had been walking alone in the wilderness for two days after the Beech A-35 Bonanza in which she was a passenger crashed, apparently killing her two step-grandparents, according to local authorities. Autumn Veatch, 16, was found by hikers near a trail into Cascades National Park. She had been flying with her step-grandfather, Leland Bowman, 62, and his wife, Sharon Bowman, 63, of Marion, Montana. They departed from Kalispell, Montana, about 1 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, heading for Bellingham, Washington. The airplane was last seen on radar about 3:20 p.m. The girl has told authorities that both adults died in the crash. The wreck has not yet been found.
Veatch was taken to a hospital where she was treated for dehydration and exhaustion. She was kept overnight for observation and then released to her family. The girl’s survival was “a miracle, no question about it,” said Lt. Col. Jeffrey Lustick, of the Civil Air Patrol, who told reporters he has spent 30 years in search and rescue. “Moments of joy like this can be hard to find.”
