Missing mushroom hunters located at Shades State Park
WAVELAND -- Indiana Conservation Officers, along with staff members at Shades State Park responded to a call of two lost mushroom hunters at Pedestal Rock Nature Preserve on Sunday afternoon.
Pedestal Rock Nature Preserve is a remote nature preserve attached to Shades State Park.
Jennifer Leslie, 34, of Darlington, and Cody Bush, 14, of Illinois, entered Pedestal Rock Nature Preserve early in the afternoon in search of mushrooms and became lost after trying to return to their vehicle.
At approximately 3:10 p.m., Leslie made a 911 call after the two mushrooms hunters realized they were walking in the wrong direction.
The 911 call was initially answered by the Parke County Dispatch before being transferred to Montgomery County Dispatch.
Montgomery County Dispatch was then able to get the GPS coordinates from the 911 call. Indiana Conservation Officers were able to utilize their in-car computer to plot the GPS coordinates on a map.
The lost individuals were located within 30 minutes of obtaining the GPS coordinates, and the pair were safely returned to their vehicle.
Indiana Conservation Officers remind anyone entering a wooded area to let someone know where you are going and when you will be returning. A cell phone is an excellent piece of equipment to have along in the event of becoming lost.