By Staff
Published: Aug. 15, 2024 at 4:53 PM EDT|Updated: Aug. 17, 2024 at 9:36 AM EDT
ALLENDALE, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - We have some updates on the case of a woman who was found safe Friday after being missing for three days in the Allendale County wilderness.
Jessica Rapsys, 27, of Jacksonville, Fla., had been traveling through the area, reportedly to visit a relative, when she vanished Tuesday.
Her car was found on some railroad tracks with the engine still warm and keys in the ignition in a rural area in sweltering heat and high humidity a week after Tropical Storm Debby swamped the region.
Her shoes and phone were found on the railroad tracks, which run through Creek Plantation.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, Department of Natural Resources and local law enforcement used helicopters and bloodhounds to track her down, while her family and friends prayed for her safe return.
And those prayers were answered Friday morning.
Allendale County Chief Deputy Steven Robinson said authorities were about to conduct a briefing on the search when they got a dispatch call from the SLED saying Rapsys had been found on Creek Plantation
Deputies rushed to the scene with lights and sirens on.
When they pulled up, she was in the back seat of a non-law enforcement pickup.
She was taken to a hospital to be checked out, but her worst problem was bug bites, according to law enforcement officers.
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Her car was found abandoned with the keys still inside
Even as authorities feared the worst, many held out hope, though authorities said all along that no foul play was suspected.
That hope was rewarded around 10:45 a.m. Friday, when an ambulance left the search area on Steel Creek Road that was marked with a “Creek Plantation” sign.
The ambulance traveled in a caravan to a local hospital.
The fact that the lights were off was either a very good or a very bad sign.
At the hospital, News 12 saw someone being taken out of the ambulance.
Soon afterward, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division confirmed the nearly unbelievable news that Rapsys was alive and well.
“Finding Jessica was a team effort,” said Sheriff James Freeman. “We all worked together and did not give up hope.”
At the hospital, Rapsys is being evaluated and provided any necessary medical treatment.
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SLED said the Rapsys family would like to extend their deepest thanks to everyone who helped find her, and respectfully asks for privacy at this time.
Three helicopters, bloodhounds and multiple agencies helped with the search, with 25-30 people involved.
The Allendale County Sheriff’s Office said it would like to thank everyone who helped with the search, including SLED, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Energy Savannah River Site Security Services and the owners of the Creek Plantation.
Friends say Rapsys disappeared when she was on her way to visit her aunt.
Officials told Action News Jax her car was found abandoned with a flat tire with the keys still inside. The car was found near railroad tracks on private property.
“Jessica is a beautiful person, she is inside and out the most genuine human being I’ve ever met,” her friend Graysen Gall said.
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Gall says she was with Rapsys Friday night and described her as the life of the party, according to WJAX.
“When I found out, my stomach flipped. I was sick to my stomach,” she said.
The Allendale County Sheriff’s Office said her car was on Creek Plantation. Officials told WJAX this is private property, used for horse breeding and training.
A spokesperson for the sheriff’s office says air units and bloodhounds were used in the miles-long search.
“Jessica is worth it, she is worth the search,” Gall said. “I don’t think I’m going to give up until we find her.”
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