GREENFIELD, Maine — A local woman missing in the woods of this rural Penobscot County town for more than a day was found safely on Thursday evening, according to the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office.
Dale Mazzenga, 67, was sunburnt and exhausted when a fisherman found her shortly before 7 p.m., Sgt. Roy Perry of the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office said Friday.
The series of events started when Mazzenga’s live-in boyfriend became concerned when she did not return home from work on Tuesday evening. Perry said the man reported Mazzenga missing on Wednesday morning.
Perry said it turns out Mazzenga was returning home from work and drove past her driveway because another vehicle was following close behind her, and she was afraid that she would get rear-ended if she slowed down to turn.
Mazzenga subsequently drove further down the road to turn around and got lost on the back road, and her vehicle became stuck, according to Perry.
Perry said Mazzenga was unable to get the vehicle free and tried to find her way back out the way she came on foot but was unable to do so.
On Thursday afternoon, deputies took a call from the sister-in-law of the man that located Mazzenga, and confirmed her identity upon arrival at that woman’s residence, Perry said.
Mazzenga was transported to Eastern Maine Medical Center for observation and released, the sergeant said.
Greenfield is in central Penobscot County, between Milford and Greenbush.
