(NEW YORK) -- A missing Massachusetts woman was found alive in Borderland State Park on Monday after she was stuck in mud for several days.
Emma Tetewsky, 31, was reported missing on June 26 by her family. She was believed to still be in the area because she did not have access to a car and her cellphone was not with her.
Hikers in the state park could hear Tetewsky screaming for help in a swamp-like area but were unable to reach her on foot so they alerted police to her location, officials said.
"Three officers waded 50 feet from the shore, through thick brush and swamp, to reach Tetewsky. It is believed that she may have been trapped at that location for at least three days," Stoughton Police said in a statement.
Responding officers initially tried to pick Tetewsky up but the weight of their bodies sunk them further into the mud. They then had to move into a line and pull her out as a team without burying themselves in the mud, Officer Corey Mclaughlin said at a press conference Wednesday.
"When we were briefly in there it was clear to see how someone might be stuck there. Just from our own body weights we sunk pretty deeply, never mind if you were there for days. I imagine that it would be extremely difficult to get out on your own," Mclaughlin said.
Police said Tetewsky had assumed a fetal position in the mud but was eventually moved onto her side. She also looked dehydrated and exhausted when she was found, Mclaughlin said.
Multiple agencies had been looking for Tetewsky since she was reported missing. Despite receiving many tips, it was the hikers who found her and alerted police to her location.
Tetewsky was alert and conscious when rescued and taken to Good Samaritan Hospital. Police said she sustained minimal injuries to her shoulder and upper body.
"There were so many agencies involved in the search for Emma over the last week. We thank everyone involved. The public never gave up hope that she would be located safely. She could not have been located without the public’s help," Stoughton Police said.