Video: Police Rescue California Woman Lost in Northern Michigan Forest During YouTube Survival Challenge

Woman found in dense forest

The Michigan State Police on Saturday rescued a lost California woman from the dense Pigeon River State Forest in Otsego County, northern Michigan.

The 36-year-old woman was a contestant in a YouTube survival challenge, in which participants document themselves surviving in a remote environment with limited resources.

According to State Police, she became lost on Friday evening but was not reported missing until 5 a.m. on Saturday.

State Police were called in to assist the Otsego County Sheriff's Office.

Police said canine units entered the dense forest, which was still damaged from a recent ice storm. The MSP Aviation Unit was also activated, and around 10:40 a.m., officers located the woman.

Law enforcement officers and firefighters then walked her out of the woods to safety, police said.

On September 6, troopers from the Michigan State Police (MSP) Gaylord Post responded to the Pigeon River State Forest to assist the Otsego County Sheriff's Office in locating a 36-year-old woman missing from California. The woman was a contestant in a YouTube survival challenge… pic.twitter.com/9eEdIteS5f

— MSP Seventh District (@mspnorthernmi) September 6, 2025