Two adults and four children were found alive on Tuesday nestled together inside Trinity Canyon located in the Seven Troughs Range. Thirty-four-year-old James Glanton, 25-year-old Christina MacIntee, the couple’s children (a 3-year-old and a 4-year-old), 10-year-old niece Shelby Fitzpatrick, and a 4-year-old nephew had been missing since Sunday night when the group left to enjoy sledding and playing in the snow. Amanda Fitzpatrick, who is Shelby’s mother, spoke with Piers Morgan of CNN about the ordeal. “It’s been extremely hard, probably the hardest 24 to 36 hours of my life. It’s my baby girl.”
Sheriff Richard Machado spoke about the harsh weather conditions. “The temperatures out here are very cold, and we’d like to bring a successful end to this. We’d like to find them, just as soon as we can,” Machado said prior to the recovery.
Planes, vehicles, and helicopters were all used during the search efforts; however, a volunteer with a pair of binoculars actually spotted the family. The rescuer used the binoculars to scan the mountainside when the image of the family huddled together came into view. According to Pershing General Hospital CEO Patty Bianchi, the family has “no frostbite, just some exposure issues.”
Finding the family was the result of the collaborative search efforts from volunteers as well as service personnel. More than 200 people were involved in the search efforts that covered nearly 6,000 square miles. Nevada Wing Commander Colonel Tim Hahn released the following statement, “The cell phone forensics team pinpointed where they could not possibly be. This morning they provided a key clue that redirected the search and led to the rescue.”
The couple’s jeep rolled off the road and was stuck in an area 15 miles away from Lovelock. However, Glanton and MacIntee managed to keep the children warm during the days stranded in the cold. Bianchi said that the couple “did a fabulous job keeping them [the children] warm.”
Pershing County Undersheriff Thomas Bjerke spoke about the miraculous event that saved a family just before Christmas. “They are in pretty good shape,” Bjerke said.
[Image Via NDN]