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79-year-old woman survives in desert for 5 days

"This is a miracle, because honestly - should she be here today? No. There's no doubt, it's a miracle," said her son.

By Aileen Graef
Ethel Crescenzo/Crescenzo family photo
Ethel Crescenzo/Crescenzo family photo

PHOENIX, Oct. 21 (UPI) -- Arizona woman Ethel Crescenzo, 79, was found Sunday afternoon after spending five days in the desert where she got lost on her way to a casino.

Crescenzo was last seen leaving her home on Oct. 14 and was on her way to a casino in Scottsdale, when she got lost and ended up west of the California border after falling down an embankment.

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A Silver Alert was issued for her in the Phoenix area Thursday. Someone reported seeing a a white Chevy Monte Carlo with the personalized plate "ETHEL." After a helicopter search of the surrounding area, authorities eventually found her stranded 300 yards away from her car.

"I will say this in the very beginning, she is very poor on directions," said her son George Crescenzo. "I am secondary with that. She'd get lost going around the block."

Crescenzo is being treated in the hospital for dehydration but is in stable condition.

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