American woman found

The United States Government has expressed their thanks to Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves and the local police for finding a missing American.{{more}}

Mary Ourisman, US Ambassador to the OECS in a letter to the Prime Minister, thanked him for contacting her immediately about the woman’s disappearance and offering all of St. Vincent’s resources to find her. After three days in the wilderness, Natalie Gomez emerged from the bushes in the Dallaway Mountain in Vermont unhurt and in sound condition on Tuesday.

Gomez, 23, who is here visting her friend John Punnett, lost her way in the Queensbury Mountains on July 15, 2007 when she went to a spring to get a drink of water at around 2 pm. After Gomez did not return, Searchlight understands that Punnett went in search of her and then contacted the police.

At approximately 4 pm on Tuesday, sighs of relief came from police and villagers when she was found in the Dallaway Mountains after days of hunting by police and villagers.

Gomez said she went for the water but took a wrong turn and could not find her way back. She said that she spent the night next to a big stone by the river and continued her sojourn back to civilization the next day. Gomez said she recalled hearing voices nearby, and shouted to attract attention, but her calls were not heard.

Gomez said she was overwhelmed by the massive search put on for her, and that she could not have found a better country to get lost in. She had high praise for the police and villagers for helping to locate her.

Gomez will continue her vacation here in St Vincent until August 1 when she is scheduled to leave the country. (KW)