NOTTINGHAM, NH — An Epping woman in her mid-30s was found cold and injured in the woods by Berry Road in Nottingham Wednesday morning. Officials say she may have been in the woods for up to five nights.
Capt. Jay Newman of the Epping Police Department said a family member had reported the woman missing on Monday morning, but she was last seen Friday night.
Then, Wednesday morning, the woman called police for help at 7:18 a.m. and again at 10:53 a.m., according to Nottingham Police.
“The Nottingham Police department received a call yesterday, a 911 call from a female looking for help,” Newman said.
The Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office were able to triangulate the call to a general area off of Berry Road in Nottingham, and they searched the woods with the help of Nottingham Police and Fire and Epping Police.
Newman said police cruisers blared their sirens while on the phone with the woman to home in on her position. She was located about a quarter of a mile into the woods.
The woman told police she had slept in a tree the night before, concerned about wildlife, and fell from the tree potentially breaking her leg and some ribs. Unable to walk, she crawled a short distance to where police ultimately found her.
“It’s pretty rugged terrain out there. It’s thick woods,” Newman said.
The Nottingham Fire Department treated her on the scene and transported her to Exeter Hospital.
Newman said the woman was wearing a hoodie and appeared to be very cold. Police were not able to confirm what she was doing in the woods or how long she was out there.
“The condition she was in, she wasn’t able to explain very well what she was doing,” Newman said. “Either she got lost or she got hurt.”
The section of woods she was found in was South of Route 152, west of Berry Road, and east of Nottingham Square Road. Rescue crews staged their search area across from 60 Berry Road.
“It’s an unusual location,” Newman said. “It’s near a swamp, there’s no trails that I know of.”
He said there did not appear to be any indication of impairment, and she didn’t seem to be the victim of any crime. Since the missing person is found and safe, the case is now closed, Newman said.
