West Fargo men credited with rescuing stranded woman in Otter Tail County

Two West Fargo men found Kathryn Jane Woessner stuck in a wooded area east of Park Rapids, turning a missing-person case into a live rescue and bringing a tense search to a close. Their decision to stop, check the area and help her out of the woods proved critical for the 68-year-old Alexandria woman, whose disappearance had triggered concern because of her medical conditions.

Woessner was last seen June 3 near the intersection of State Highway 64 and State Highway 87 south of Akeley, driving a black 2015 Chrysler Town & Country with Minnesota license plate GLE 348. Authorities said she did not have her personal belongings with her, a detail that raised alarm as the search expanded across Hubbard and Cass counties.

Cass County deputies located Woessner alive west of Backus at about 3:30 p.m. June 6, and she was taken to Essentia Health-St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Brainerd because of her medical conditions. In separate coverage, the rescuers were identified as Mike Gravalin and Adam Sandbeck of West Fargo, who said they had found Woessner trapped in the woods east of Park Rapids.

The case drew a coordinated response from the Hubbard County Sheriff’s Office, Alexandria Police Department, Minnesota State Patrol, Minnesota Bureau of Apprehension and Cass County Sheriff’s Office. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office also thanked those agencies for helping locate Woessner and later canceled the missing-person alert after she was found safe.

For drivers moving through the rural corridors around Akeley, Park Rapids and Backus, the search is a reminder of how fast an ordinary trip can turn into an emergency when someone is alone, away from personal items and unable to get clear help. In areas with heavy woods and long stretches between towns, even a vehicle or person that is only slightly off the road can be hard to spot, which is why quick reporting and a broad interagency response matter so much when someone goes missing.