A 56-year-old woman was found safe after being reported missing for more than 30 hours in Big Bend Ranch State Park last week.
According to a Texas Parks and Wildlife (TWP) news release, Debra Staples was riding with her husband when they were separated on a path around 9:30 a.m. local time on Tuesday, Nov. 26, in the rural park in far western Texas.
When the Roanoke, Texas woman attempted to catch up to her husband, she took a wrong turn off the trail. According to the announcement, once her bike had a flat tire, she abandoned it and walked in a loop for five hours before returning to it.
Staples then rode her bike for 20 miles until she arrived at Sauceda Ranger Station, which is located in the park’s interior, and search workers were notified of her whereabouts, according to TPW.
Meanwhile, a multi-agency search team comprised of Texas Game Wardens, state park police officers, a K9 search team, the United States Border Patrol, and the Presidio County Sheriff’s Office was looking for Staples after her husband returned to the area where she went missing at around 1:00 p.m. and reported that she and her bike were not at the West Contrabando Trailhead.
Ground teams searched for her until late Tuesday, when it became unsafe to continue, and airborne crews used drone thermal technology to work through the night.
TPW reports that on Wednesday, Nov. 27, at first light, the search for Staples resumed, leading to her eventual reunion with her family.
The incident occurs one month after a missing hiker in Big Bend died in a more horrific manner.
On Monday, Oct. 28, officials discovered the body of a missing 24-year-old hiker along the difficult Marufo Vega Trail in Big Bend National Park, after park officers discovered an unsecured vehicle parked for several days at a nearby trailhead the day before.