Missing ATV rider found alive after search at Sardis Lake bottom

Lafayette County Sheriff’s deputies found an Abbeville woman alive Monday after she was reported missing in the southeast area of the Sardis Lake bottom, according to the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies were dispatched at 8:56 a.m. after the woman and another person went into the area on an all-terrain vehicle that became disabled. The two decided one would walk out to seek help while the other stayed with the ATV.

The Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue team, Lafayette County Fire Department Search and Rescue, the Lafayette County Emergency Management Agency’s K9 and Incident Response Team, and the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks joined the search. Deputies located the woman, identified as Mariah Estes, at 1:51 p.m.

Paramedics with the Lafayette County Fire Department and Baptist Ambulance Service reached Estes on foot and began treating her while rescuers developed a plan to remove her from the lake bottom. Firefighters, deputies and wildlife officers moved her to a clear area for transport.

Hospital Wing of Oxford transported Estes to Baptist North Mississippi in stable condition.

Sheriff Joey East praised the multi-agency response, saying, "This is exactly the kind of teamwork we train for, multiple agencies coming together with a single goal". The sheriff’s office thanked the Lafayette County Fire Department, Lafayette County Emergency Management Agency, Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, Baptist Ambulance Service and Hospital Wing of Oxford for assisting with the response.

Source: Lafayette County Sheriff's Office.