Police say a 48-year-old photographer who was found “dazed and injured” with a suspected snake bite after a week missing in the NSW Snowy Mountains is lucky to be alive.
Brumby-loving Lovisa Sjoberg, who goes by the name of Kiki, was found about 4.50pm yesterday following a widespread search, suffering from exposure and bitten by what police believe was a copperhead snake.
Before yesterday afternoon’s discovery, it was believed she was last seen on October 15 and was last spoken to on October 8.
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But the alarm didn’t go up until she failed to return a hire car, a Mitsubishi Outlander on October 21.
The Outlander, which Sjoberg was spotted driving in the Kosciuszko National Park on October 15, was found at Kiandra on October 21 as NSW Police, the State Emergency Service, the Rural Fire Service and National Parks and Wildlife joined with locals to cover the rugged terrain.
At the time, officers said they and her family held concerns for her welfare because of the out-of-character disappearance and length of time she’d been missing.
Hundreds of people joined Facebook groups in an attempt to help organise searches, gather information and find the woman.
NSW Police Superintendent Toby Lindsay today revealed a National Parks and Wildlife Service officer found her “dazed and injured” on the Nungar Creek Trail at Kiandra.
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He said Sjorberg had suffered through “a tough few days” and was lucky to be alive.
“She had been bitten by a snake four days before, had also rolled her ankle and was suffering from dehydration,” Lindsay said.
“She’s in fact very fortunate to be alive, she obviously went through a tough time.”
He said that she had been “wandering dazed” through the bush for a number of days before she was found.
Temperatures would have dropped to zero degrees during the time she was missing, sparking grave concerns for her welfare, Lindsay also said.
Paramedics have not yet confirmed if she was bitten by a snake, but it’s understood she is in a “reasonably good” condition, according to Lindsay.
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Sjoberg was recovering in Cooma District Hospital in a stable condition last night.
Dozens of agencies were involved in the search, which included foot, road, horseback and aerial patrols.
Police thanked everyone involved in the search.
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