Wednesday, October 29, 1997
Woman found after intensive search
By ROY A. JONES II / Abilene Reporter-News
COLORADO CITY -- Mattie Woods' little white puppy didn't have
a name Tuesday, but he does now.
"From now on we're going to call him 'Rescue' because
he helped save Mama's life," said relieved son David Woods,
assistant principal of Colorado High School.
The 95-year-old Mrs. Woods, a longtime community leader for
whom the City Council named the street on which she lives, was
the object of an intensive search by law enforcement officers
and volunteers for several hours before she was found -- cold
but otherwise unharmed -- in a thick, brushy area about one-half
mile from her home shortly before 1 a.m. Wednesday.
David Woods credited Rescue with staying with his owner and
helping keep her warm, and with eventually attracting rescuers
with his yelps.
Mrs. Woods was placed in Mitchell County Hospital for observation
and is expected to be released today. Her son said she slept most
of the day Tuesday, oblivious to the outpouring of the community
to look for her.
"It didn't freeze like it did the night before, but I
really doubt she would have made it through the night out there
like she was dressed," a volunteer fireman said.
The temperature was in the mid-40s most of the night but the
woman was wearing only house shoes and a robe over her nightclothes,
he said.
"When that little ol' puppy wandered up last summer it
was poorer than Job's turkey. I told Mama I would take it to the
pound for her, but she wanted to keep it around and fatten it
up. I'm sure glad she did because he stayed right with her when
she became exhausted," David Woods said.
Woods said his mother has lived in the same house since 1943
and is familiar with the area. He thinks she became confused by
the time change Sunday.
"I suspect she went out for a little walk with her dog,
just to see that nice new paved road they named for her, and it
got dark on her before she expected it and she just got turned
around," he said. He added that he hadn't spoken to his mother
about the incident yet because she slept all day.
"After what she went through, I don't blame her,"
he said.
David Woods said family members and friends began looking for
his mother shortly before 8 p.m., then asked for assistance from
law enforcement officers about 11:30 p.m. The searchers included
volunteer firemen along with the police department, and sheriff's
office personnel.
Volunteer firemen Brian Earls and Rex Sohrweld, a retired Marine
who put his "recon platoon" tracking skills to good
use, eventually found Mrs. Woods sitting in a dense, brushy area
that is now part of the prison property.
Sohrweld said he had a good clue they were on the right trail
when they found some dog droppings that appeared fresh. A few
minutes later they saw the puppy's eyes shining in their flashlights'
beams and heard a welcome bark.
The rescuers said it was obvious the woman had paced back and
forth in the thick sand and heavy brush several times, then apparently
sat down, exhausted.
"When we approached her, we told her not to be afraid,
that we were firemen, and she asked, 'Then what are you doing
out here?,' Earls said. "We told her we were just looking
for her."
Upon being reunited with his mother, a tearful David Woods
told the rescuers, "Thank you for helping us keep our mother."
He said he would gladly take care of the dog while his mother
is in the hospital.
(Correspondents Tom Carlock and Don King contributed to this
story.)
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Copyright ©1997,
Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps Publications
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