A Michigan couple found themselves in an extremely difficult situation when they were unable to get food or water.
Butch and Janice Duncan, who is thought to be from Blanchard, set out to Mecosta County in Michigan on Monday, December 31st. The couple made a wrong turn on a dirt road and their truck got stuck as they tried to return home.
Janice stayed behind in the truck waiting for Butch Duncan to return.
Janice Duncan, WZZM TV, said that “it got dark” and that he should have returned by now. “And he didn’t come back.”
Janice ended up staying the night in the truck. Janice was worried when Butch hadn’t returned his phone several hours later. Janice quickly wrote a note detailing her situation and whereabouts, then left it on the truck’s windshield and set out to find her husband.
He was stuck in the mud and his shoes were missing. She attempted to rescue him, but she ended up getting tangled up in the mud.
Janice said, “You can’t walk in it.” “I tried to reach him but I kept falling.”
It was also falling, according to her cell phone. It was so submerged that it couldn’t be used anymore. They could only hope, pray and shout for help.
Janice said, “I screamed and screamed and screamed to get 911 help” but no one came.
Both husband and wife are in their 70s and ended up spending two nights in the mud, without food or water. They began to fear the worst.
Janice recalled, “He was getting real shakey.” Janice said that he was trying to fall asleep and she told him to get up. You can’t go to bed! I said to him, “I think we are done.” “I think they’re going here to lay, and they’re likely to find bones someday.”
Their prayers were answered on Thursday morning. Janice had left a note in her hasty handwritten note. A neighboring landowner found the vehicle abandoned and called the police. The authorities then searched for the couple and found them in the swamp. They were eventually pulled to safety. They were out in the elements for almost three days.
“Thank you, God!” Janice remembered saying.
The Duncans were placed in an ambulance, then taken to Mount Pleasant’s nearby hospital. They remained there for a few days, recovering from exposure and dehydration. They are doing well now.
Janice explained that she was told by the ambulance driver, “If you would have been there one more day you’d die,” Janice said. Everyone who hears her story is warned to share their location with loved ones and friends in case of an emergency.
Butch also offered some lighthearted advice, “Don’t Get Old.”
