Missing Nevada Woman Found Clinging To Tree On Steep Slope Rescued In 'Miracle' Mission

A missing Nevada woman, who was found clinging to a tree on a steep slope, was boosted to safety in what was being called a "miracle" rescue mission.

Gayle Stewart, 64, was reported missing Monday after she left her home in Reno at around 10 a.m. ET. Her son then arranged a search operation, following which Stewart was found hanging 300 to 400 feet off a road, clinging on to a tree on a steep area, KOLO-TV reported.

The woman was found about 12 hours after she was reported missing. It took a team of 28 firefighters and volunteers to rescue Stewart from the slope near Alum Creek.

"Amazing find and rescue of a missing woman. A friend of the son found her injured and stranded on a steep slope near Alum Creek. RFD personnel helped stabilize the patient, built a rescue system, and transported her back to the pavement about a 1/2 hour from contact. Strong work!" the department said in a tweet.

Reno Fire Department Battalion Chief Seth Williams called the rescue a miracle.

"Actually kind of a miracle story," KOLO-TV quoted Williams, as saying. "The son called up some friends to start searching for her and one of the boys just decided to head off this cliff thinking maybe she fell down there and found her clinging to a tree. He said the last thing she said was ‘help’ and then didn’t talk anymore."

It was unclear how Stewart became stranded on the steep slope near Caughlin Ranch. Williams praised the rescue person who found her.

"That’s what I told the young man that found her, I said that’s truly a lifesaver," KOLO-TV quoted Williams, as saying. "With the rain and the snow coming tonight she’s already been exposed for the better part of 12 hours. It could have been a very different outcome had he not found her when he did."

She was taken to an area hospital by ambulance and is expected to make a full recovery, New York Daily News reported.