California Highway Patrol officers managed to locate a missing woman whose vehicle had plunged 500 feet down a ravine using Find My iPhone, reports ABC News. 28-year-old Melissa Vasquez had been ejected from her car and been missing for 17 hours when found by officers.
Sometime after 2 p.m. on Monday, OnStar informed police of crash that ripped two tires off a Chevy Cruze. The service said the car was at Highway 17 and Camden Avenue, near Vasquez' home. Officers responded but did not see an accident. OnStar then updated the location to downtown San Jose. Again, police found nothing. At 3 a.m. Vasquez's stepmother called police to report her daughter missing.
Campbell police Officer David Cameron went to Vasquez's house and found her iPad. He realized that he could use Find My iPhone to possibly track her location; however, there was a passcode on the device.
"I made an educated guess based on a series of common numbers people use for passwords and on the third attempt I was able to get in," Cameron said.
Within minutes the app had identified her location and just 20 minutes later rescuers were airlifting her out of the ravine.
A Coast Guard helicopter was called while officers walked down the embankment through heavy shrubbery. "The officers on the scene said she was face down. She was awake, coherent, and she was speaking to officers," said CHP Officer Ross Lee. Vasquez was put into an airlift basket and hoisted out of the ravine. She was rushed to the Regional Medical Center ICU suffering injuries to her legs and her abdomen.
"I think somebody was looking out for her. Things fell in place and had those things not fallen in place, it could have been a totally different story," Cameron said.
The CHP is still investigating the incident. It's unclear why the car ended up in the ravine. Drugs and alcohol, they say, do not appear to be a factor.
Take a look at the video below for more details...
Read More [via Leonard] [Find My iPhone]
Sometime after 2 p.m. on Monday, OnStar informed police of crash that ripped two tires off a Chevy Cruze. The service said the car was at Highway 17 and Camden Avenue, near Vasquez' home. Officers responded but did not see an accident. OnStar then updated the location to downtown San Jose. Again, police found nothing. At 3 a.m. Vasquez's stepmother called police to report her daughter missing.
Campbell police Officer David Cameron went to Vasquez's house and found her iPad. He realized that he could use Find My iPhone to possibly track her location; however, there was a passcode on the device.
"I made an educated guess based on a series of common numbers people use for passwords and on the third attempt I was able to get in," Cameron said.
Within minutes the app had identified her location and just 20 minutes later rescuers were airlifting her out of the ravine.
A Coast Guard helicopter was called while officers walked down the embankment through heavy shrubbery. "The officers on the scene said she was face down. She was awake, coherent, and she was speaking to officers," said CHP Officer Ross Lee. Vasquez was put into an airlift basket and hoisted out of the ravine. She was rushed to the Regional Medical Center ICU suffering injuries to her legs and her abdomen.
"I think somebody was looking out for her. Things fell in place and had those things not fallen in place, it could have been a totally different story," Cameron said.
The CHP is still investigating the incident. It's unclear why the car ended up in the ravine. Drugs and alcohol, they say, do not appear to be a factor.
Take a look at the video below for more details...
Read More [via Leonard] [Find My iPhone]