A woman from North Carolina who family members had not heard from since November and who was feared dead in the California desert was found alive last week in Colorado, officials announced.
Kelsey Pittman, 33, had already been reported missing by family members when her car, a 2009 Chevrolet HHR with North Carolina plates, was found parked outside Death Valley National Park earlier this year, according to a news release from the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office.
Her last known whereabout, according to the Los Angeles Times, had been somewhere in Utah in November last year, when she had contact for unknown reasons with local police.
On Feb. 9, deputies responded to an area known as Slab City or The Pads, a Sonoran Desert community of people living off-grid in RVs or tents, many who identify as bohemians and artists, on reports of a suspicious vehicle.
The registration came back to Pittman.
A search of the vehicle and the area, though, showed no signs of the 33-year-old, who also reportedly goes by the names “Infinity Jane” and “Jane Jones.”
The sheriff’s office launched a monthslong missing persons investigation, coordinating with several other law enforcement agencies and deploying drones, cadaver dogs and search and rescue crews.
The area Pittman’s vehicle was found is notorious for incredibly high temperatures that can lead to disorientation and cause hikers and others to wander off in the extreme heat and die.
Further search and rescue efforts in Death Valley and Joshua Tree also came up empty.
While details are limited, Inyo County Sheriff’s officials announced last week that the 33-year-old was found alive in Colorado.
“Out of respect for her privacy and that of her family, no further details will be released,” the department said, though the announcement stated that authorities were “relieved” she had been located and thanked those involved in the rescue efforts.
