Mom Called 911 from the Woods After Vanishing for a Week Following ‘Suspicious’ House Fire

The Indiana mother who was found alive in the woods called 911 herself after vanishing for a week following a fire at her home, according to authorities.

The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that Britney Gard placed the call at 5:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday, Oct. 8, requesting help finding her way out of a wooded area in Hall Woods Nature Preserve east of Bainbridge.

“Britney was quickly found by Putnam County Sheriff’s Deputies with the assistance of Indiana Conservation Officers, an Indiana State Police Detective, Bainbridge Fire Department personnel, and excellent directions from our 911 dispatchers,” authorities wrote. “This location is approximately 2.5 miles from the residence of Ms. Gard.”

Gard was checked out by Putnam County Emergency Services paramedics at the scene and transported to an area hospital for a medical evaluation, the sheriff’s office said, marking the latest update from officials after they announced that Gard had been found alive.

Gard was nowhere to be found when authorities responded to the Oct. 1 fire at her home, the sheriff’s office previously said in a news release. Initial attempts to make contact with her were unsuccessful.

In a statement shared earlier this week, before Gard was confirmed to have been found, authorities said the blaze “was extinguished with fire damage contained to a portion of the home.”

The fire location in the home was investigated by Avon Fire Department Investigators, who have made preliminary indications that the fire is suspicious in nature,” the department added.

Gard’s sister, Stephanie Bowen, told ABC affiliate WRTV that the family knew something was wrong when Gard didn’t show up to her daughter’s volleyball game on the day she was reported missing.

It remains unclear how Gard ended up in the woods or how she managed to survive.

“No one knows what happened. No one knows how she got there,” the family said, according to WTWO and WAWV.

But a relative said there is just “relief” she’s “alive and with us.”

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In their latest release, the sheriff’s office said that they are not “looking for any individuals of interest in this missing person investigation of Britney Gard” and that “there is no current threat to the general public in this case.”

The case remains under investigation to “bring closure” to the incident, authorities added. No further details will be released at this time.

“It is with great relief that we were able to find Ms. Gard last evening and bring this missing person case to a close,” officials said. “We would like to thank her family and all of the organizations that worked with us around the clock on this missing person case.”