Rescue crew finds missing hiker with unlikely piece of technology
A Florida sheriff's office helped track down and rescue a woman who went missing while hiking thanks to an unlikely hero -- her iPhone flashlight.
The Hillsboro County Sheriff's Office shared the news along with a night vision, black and white video, of the moment their Aviation Unit located the hiker who had called 911 on Dec. 29 when she became lost at a nature park in Thonotosassa.
The HCSO Aviation Unit posted a video on Facebook of their search and rescue through the heavily wooded area in Flatwoods Wilderness Park.
"Luckily, they were able to spot her lighted cell phone," authorities said in the post. "Deputies were able to use coordinates from the helicopter to provide the Communications Center with a location and direct a park ranger driving an ATV to the hiker. The woman was found uninjured and driven safely out of the woods."
Libia Marsack told ABC News Tampa Bay affiliate WFTS that she takes daily hikes while caring for her husband who is battling cancer at Moffitt Cancer Center and chose that park because it was "local" and "had high security."
Marsack said she had "been on a trail for about two hours and could not find her way out," according to the Sheriff's Office.
Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement along with the video that "Rescues like this are one of the many benefits of having an expansive, well-trained Aviation Unit."
"Our team of deputies who fly our helicopters are constantly working from the air to assist in both rescues and arrests," Chronister said. "I couldn't be more proud of the work they put in everyday to keep the citizens of Hillsborough County safe."
Marsack told WFTS that the rescue team "brought peace, some comfort."
"I just want to thank them because I know we are in the holiday season and they had to take time out being away from their families to come do this type of work," she said.
Although this hike took a bad turn, Marsack said she will still take her strolls, just with the right tools to guide her.
"This time, I need a map," she said.
