Lost hiker with dying phone sends text to family that leads to her rescue, NM cops say

March 07, 2022 12:02 PM

Diane Brown and her dog Annie were rescued from New Mexico wilderness. San Juan County Sheriff's Office, NM

Diane Brown spent hours trying to find her way out of the New Mexico wilderness with her dog.

She looked at her phone and realized its battery was nearly depleted. Brown and her dog Annie were about to be stranded in the Bisti Wilderness area on Feb. 27, the San Juan County Sheriff's Office in New Mexico said.

"That evening, as her phone battery was about to die, she sent her husband and friends a text with her coordinates and let them know she was in a wash and was starting a fire," deputies said.

Brown told KOB 4 she wasn't planning to be gone very long when she left her home at about 9 a.m. That night, her phone battery was only at 4%, the news outlet reported.

However, Brown was prepared with a survival kit to survive the night, the sheriff's office said. She made a fire to keep her and her dog warm overnight, KRQE reported.

"I heated rocks up in the fire and put them on the core of my stomach and on my feet and everything like that," Brown told KOB 4. "I was more scared for the dog."

In the morning, rescuers dispatched to Brown's location. She saw a helicopter overhead and knew she needed to get to a higher location.

Brown hiked to higher ground and waved a piece of clothing in the air for the helicopter crew to find her. Rescuers found her about an hour into their search, deputies said.

The hiker told KOB 4 her knowledge of survival television shows helped keep her calm during the night.

"I've seen a lot of survivals shows," she told the news station. "I knew, 'don't panic, and you got to do this.'"

Brown was flown to a nearby parking lot where she was checked by medics. She only complained of being cold and had no injuries.

Deputies did not say if the dog was injured.

Maddie Capron is a McClatchy Real-Time News Reporter focused on the outdoors and wildlife in the western U.S. She graduated from Ohio University and previously worked at CNN, the Idaho Statesman and Ohio Center for Investigative Journalism.