Missing Michigan Woman, 74, Found By Drone After 3 Days In The Woods

A 74-year-old Michigan woman who was “reported missing under concerning circumstances” after a trip to a casino was found by a drone three days later in a heavily wooded area, authorities said.

The Norton Shores Police Department said in a statement on Sunday, April 6, that local resident Nancy Bloomquist had been “reported missing under concerning circumstances” and was known to have traveled to the Little River Casino in Manistee on Thursday, April 3.

Surveillance video showed Bloomquist leaving the casino at around 5:30 p.m. Thursday and driving southbound on US-31, toward Norton Shores. She was not seen again.

On Sunday, the Mason County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a burned vehicle in Grant Township, south of Countyline Road and west of Morton Road. The vehicle matched what Bloomquist was reported to be driving when she went missing.

The sheriff’s office immediately launched a search of the area near the vehicle, with assistance from the department’s drone unit, Grant Township Fire, Norton Shores Police, Little River Tribal Police and the Manistee County Sheriff’s Office.

Shortly after 7 p.m., a drone located Bloomquist about 150 yards from her vehicle, in a heavily wooded area, lying next to a downed tree. She was found alive and alert, and she spoke with deputies at the scene.

Based on interviews and footage from trail cameras in the area, the sheriff’s office said Bloomquist became lost on her way home from the casino, and ended up on the long driveway of a seasonal home. When she attempted to turn around, her vehicle “became disabled and caught fire,” the sheriff’s office said.

Bloomquist escaped the vehicle, but left her cell phone inside. A trail camera captured her walking away from the vehicle, but not returning. The sheriff’s office said she became lost trying to return to the vehicle. She took shelter under the downed tree during rain on Thursday night, but became so cold that she “could not get back to her feet Friday.” She remained lying next to the tree until she was rescued.