A 25-year-old radiology student was found naked on the side of a rural road in Alabama on Saturday, having survived a month in the wilderness.
Lisa Theris had spent 28 days in the dense forest in Midland, with no shoes, food or phone. As The Independent reports, Theris survived by eating berries and wild mushrooms, and drinking from a brook.
The young woman was found when a motorist saw her on the side of a motorway, initially thinking she had spotted a deer.
Now, Theris has spoken out about the horror ordeal in an exclusive interview with WSFA 12.
“You can’t imagine how large of an area it was. I couldn’t believe it. I kept thinking I would find a person or a house, even if it was empty, but there was nothing. Nothing but nature. That’s it,” she recounted.
“I just did what I could. I just knew that when I was thirsty, I had to drink, no matter if the water was dirty or what. I had to get as much of it as possible. Sometimes it would make me very sick.”
Theris reportedly also squeezed drinking water from her hair after it rained. Being classified as legally blind, she found it difficult to see without glasses or contacts.
“The only thing that kept me going was my family,” she said. “I just kept thinking about how I had to see my family again.”
Theris was discovered with numerous scratches and bug bites and was hospitalised, and is now recovering at home.
“I’m just so happy to be home and recuperating. I just thank everybody for the prayers and support. It means a lot,” she said.
“Just being out of those woods is just the most amazing thing.”
As People notes, authorities told other news outlets that they believe Theris’s story of surviving in the wilderness.
Theris’ brother Will wrote on Facebook after she was found: “28 days stranded out in the wilderness and Lisa is still standing, strongest person i know.”
Her sister, Elizabeth, told WSFA: “She is severely weakened, she is in pain, she is emaciated. There is not an inch of her that has not been affected.”
Police are still investigating the details of Theris’ disappearance.
As NBC reports, two suspects were arrested on burglary and theft charges two weeks after she went missing.
The young woman is alleged to have ran away from the two men she was with.
“We want to make sure her health is good so we got her on to the hospital. We did not interrogate her at that time,” Sheriff Raymond Rodgers told WSFA.
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