DUCHESNE COUNTY, Utah — A DPS helicopter continued to make rounds late into the afternoon, bringing back search and rescue crews from out of the high wilderness. But it was around 1:30 p.m. Friday that officials say they made their most important trip - bringing Maya Suisse to safety.
“I went to the bathroom and then on the way back, I got lost and I couldn’t figure out whether I was supposed to be going east or west,” said Suisse.
Camping near Kidney Lake, the 14-year-old says she managed to find a trail intersection with a sign and stayed put there because her family knew the area.
But hours passed and Captain John Crowley with the Duchesne County Sheriff’s Office says she was lost at roughly 11,500 feet as a cold night fell.
“I was trying to keep my legs inside my shirt because it was so cold,” Suisse said. “So I had to lay my head on a rock but keep my feet balanced, somehow.”
“The area up there is very rugged,” said Crowley. “It’s also very dense forest. You can be on the trail - and a helicopter could fly right over and never see you.”
He added the Painters Basin area where Suisse went missing would have taken a day and a half to hike into, before even starting to search. So they took crews in by helicopter, dropping them near where she was last seen.
“With the passing time, I was getting a little worried,” Crowley said.
Dozens of people joined in the effort to find her - including Bryan Lundahl.
“I have resources so I thought I’d come and help,” said Lundahl.
Lundahl is a neighbor of the Suisse family and he came all the way from Cache County to search on horseback. That’s when the good news came.
“They flew the helicopter over and they saw me and said, ‘We found her, we found her!’” Lundahl said, choking up as he relived the moment. “I got three girls, I can’t imagine how hard that would be.”
Suisse said she flagged down the helicopter as it flew overhead. After 26 hours missing, she feels pure relief.
“It’s pretty wonderful,” Suisse added. “Lots of hugs.”
Captain Crowley told FOX 13 News that Maya did so much right during this search effort. He’s seen people in these instances get lost and then walk for miles and end up going in a circle.
But the 14-year-old found an open space, she hunkered down and she waited for help. They are just grateful they got her that help and reunited her with her family.
