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Forced To Leave Big Bend Due To Shutdown, Reporter Gets Lost And Dehydrated

Arkansas Times

An Arkansas newspaper reporter is in stable condition at an El Paso hospital after rescuers airlifted her from Texas' Big Bend Ranch State Park.

Cathy Frye, a reporter with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, had been lost for five nights.

Frye had been vacationing at Big Bend National Park with her husband, Rick McFarland, a photographer. Last Tuesday, the pair was forced to leave because of the federal government shutdown.

McFarland says the pair then went hiking at the nearby state park and got lost. He found help earlier in the week but could not find Frye. She was found Sunday afternoon – she was dehydrated, the Democrat-Gazette reported. She had little water and no food, the Freestone County Times in Fairfield, Texas reports.

The Arkansas Times has more information, too.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Eric Aasen is KERA’s managing editor. He helps lead the station's news department, including radio and digital reporters, producers and newscasters. He also oversees keranews.org, the station’s news website, and manages the station's digital news projects. He reports and writes stories for the website and contributes pieces to KERA radio. He's discussed breaking news live on various public radio programs, including The Takeaway, Here & Now and Texas Standard, as well as radio and TV programs in New Zealand and the United Kingdom.