Missing Woman Found Alive "Stuck in Quicksand-Like Mud" for a Week

Emma Tetewsky, missing since June 26 was miraculously found on Monday. The Massachusettes native, who liked to spend time at nature preserves, may have been stuck in quicksand-like mud for an entire week, according to the local police department. Details about her rescue have been revealed, and the story is unbelievable. 

According to Stoughton Police Department, on July 3, hikers heard someone screaming in a very remote part of the 1,843-acre Borderland State Park. It was Emma Tetewsky, a local woman who "is known to pray in the woods."

"About 6 p.m. Monday, Easton Police Department officers were dispatched to Borderland State Park after hikers called 911 and said they heard a woman screaming for help in a swamp-like area," police said. 

When Easton officers arrived on the scene they heard Tetewsky screaming but could not see her. According to their statement, three officers waded 50 feet from the shore, through thick brush and swamp, finally reaching Tetewsky. "It is believed that she may have been trapped at that location for at least three days," they said. 

The 31-year-old "was conscious and alert," according to officials. She is hospitalized with serious injuries, which haven't been detailed but is expected to survive. 

Tetewsky, who lives in Stoughton did not have a cellphone with her at the time, according to officials. "I'd like to commend our Easton officers, who blindly jumped into the water and followed the woman's calls for help," Easton Police Chief Keith Boone said in the release. "Their immediate action resulted in saving Emma Tetewsky. We'd also like to thank our incredible Fire Department, Borderland State Park rangers, and the hikers who heard Emma and called 911. Without this coordinated effort, this rescue would not have been successful."

Emma's parents are relieved. "So many times this type of story ends sadly and I didn't have much hope at all. I thought she would have already succumbed to the elements," her father, Avran Tetewsky, told WBZ.

"She called out for help. She said 'I need help.' I'm still in disbelief after a week that she could even do that because she didn't have food and she's pretty dehydrated," her mother Barbara Zinaman, told WBZ. "It was traumatic to be stuck in the mud for as long as she was," Barbara said. "It's miraculous that they found her."