Don't you just hate when you go to the casino and end up spending three days in the woods? Wait, what? One 74-year-old Michigan woman's trip to the casino didn't go according to plan.
She ended up vanishing. Fortunately, this story has a fairly happy ending. Ultimately, the woman was found alive in the woods after surviving for three days in the elements. Norton Shores Police Department shares the strange story in their news release. Nancy Bloomquist was hoping to win big at the casino.
She had traveled to the Little River Casino [in Manistee] on April 3.
"Surveillance footage shows her leaving the casino at approximately 5:30 p.m. [local time] and driving southbound on US-31. She has not been seen or heard from since," police said in the post.
However, a few days later Mason County Sheriff's Office said they found a "reported burned vehicle south of Countyline Road and west of Morton Road, in Mason County's Grant Township." They also found Nancy very much alive.
Casino Trip Gone Wrong
They wrote, "At 7:08 p.m., the missing person was located by a drone roughly 150 yards from her vehicle in a heavily wooded area, lying next to a downed tree. It was confirmed this person was the missing person from Norton Shores Michigan. She was found alive and was talking with deputies at the scene."
The woman had become lost after leaving the casino. "It was learned through interviews, surveillance video, and a trail camera near a seasonal home, that the victim left the Little River Casino on Thursday, presumably, to return to Norton Shores," police added. She "became lost and ended up on a long driveway of a seasonal home."
Unfortunately for Nancy, her casino trip was about to turn a lot worse. Her vehicle ended up catching fire. That's when she wandered off into the wood.
"While attempting to get turned around the vehicle became disabled and caught fire. The victim left the vehicle, however, forgot her cell phone in the vehicle," police added. "When she attempted to return to the car, she became lost. A trail cam captured the vehicle driving in and the victim walking out. Video evidence showed she did not return."
Fortunately, she remained calm but experienced a harrowing couple of days in the woods.
"She lay next to a downed tree, to seek shelter during the Thursday night rain. She became cold to the point that she could not get back to her feet Friday —she remained lying on the ground until found Sunday evening," police said.
Mason County Sheriff, Kim Cole added, "She's incredibly, incredibly lucky she's still alive ... I don't know her but she's a tough gal."
