A missing woman in Idaho was rescued by a group of mountain bikers after being discovered wandering through rugged wilderness nearly naked and with bleeding feet, according to authorities and reports, as reported by The New York Post.
The Blaine County Sheriff’s Office said that Heather Wayment was reported missing by her family on September 17, after she had last been seen in the Prairie Creek area of Blaine County. A multi-agency search was launched soon after.
Press Release – Missing Hiker
At approximately 9:10 am on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, the Blaine County Emergency Communications Center received a call regarding a missing adult at Prairie Creek. Family members reported the missing adult as 46-year-old Heather Wayment, whose… pic.twitter.com/lEimNwrolg
— Blaine Co Sheriff Idaho (@BlaineCoSheriff) September 18, 2025
The following day, on September 18, brothers Tommy and Vinton Gwinn, along with their friend Shelton Robinson, were mountain biking in nearby Camas County on an annual camping trip when they came across Wayment more than 17 miles from her last known location.
According to East Idaho News, she was wearing only underwear and had bloodied feet.
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“We stopped as she was obviously in bad shape,” Tommy Gwinn told the outlet.
“She didn’t want help at first. She was scared and very guarded. It took about a half-hour before she would talk.”
Robinson said they gave her a jacket and water. “She let her guard down a bit and told us her name and that she was lost,” he added.
The bikers said Wayment had removed her shorts to use them as makeshift bandages for her injured feet. They also learned she had left her phone in her car.
While they were helping her, three other bikers — Andrew Mortensen, Randy Ivy, and another unidentified rider — arrived and recognized Wayment as the missing hiker who had been the subject of the search effort.
The group pooled resources, offering her food and water while working to contact authorities despite being in an area with no cell service. Using GPS coordinates and a satellite text system, Gwinn sent dozens of messages to his wife in Pocatello, who then alerted law enforcement.
“At 3:45 p.m. and about 50 messages later, we finally got word that a rescue helicopter was on the way,” Gwinn said. “Technology worked very well in this situation.”
One of the dirt bikers transported Wayment on the back of his bike to a meadow where the helicopter could safely land. She was airlifted by Life Flight around 5:45 p.m. and taken to a hospital. Her current condition has not been released.
“This is really rugged country. She was not on a bike path and had to go over numerous mountains to get where she was,” Gwinn said. “It was so cold at night. It’s remarkable she’s still alive.”
Robinson also reflected on the experience. “We’re super-grateful we found her,” he said. “It’s always in the back of your mind that something could happen and you need to be rescued. It was cool to see how an actual rescue works. I was very impressed.”
Blaine County Sheriff Morgan Ballis thanked both law enforcement and the civilians who played a role in the rescue.
“We especially want to thank our Blaine County Sheriff’s Office deputies for their incredible efforts over the past two days, and the mountain bikers who were able to contact law enforcement, guide the Life Flight crew to Heather, and remain by Heather’s side offering aid until medical assistance could arrive,” he said in a statement.
Press Release – Missing Hiker Found
On Thursday, September 18, 2025, at approximately 3:24 p.m., Heather Wayment, a lost hiker, was reported located on a trail 17.3 miles from her last known location, north of Ketchum, Idaho. Heather Wayment, the subject of an intense… pic.twitter.com/38MoX5C7EM
— Blaine Co Sheriff Idaho (@BlaineCoSheriff) September 19, 2025
The case remains under review, but authorities credited the bikers with saving Wayment’s life.
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