STEVENS COUNTY, Wash. — An elderly man who authorities say was "left for dead" in Stevens County survived off pond water following a robbery in July.
Deputies Peterson and Stearns were dispatched to a welfare check on July 22 after an elderly man with health problems had not been seen, according to a Facebook post from the Stevens County Sheriff's Office.
When deputies arrived, the door to the man's home was open and vehicles appeared to have been ransacked. They feared the worst until one heard what sounded like a faint cry for help, the sheriff's office said.
Both deputies began to search the wooded area around the house and found the missing man in a swamp after descending into a heavily wooded ravine. They provided first aid while calling for medics, according to the sheriff's office.
The man, who is almost 70 years old, relies on oxygen and is unable to walk without assistance, the sheriff's office said. Deputies learned he was taken down to the woods by a suspect who robbed him and left him there unable to walk.
According to the sheriff's office, the man told deputies that he had pleaded not to be left in the woods but the suspect abandoned him.
The man survived off pond water while lying in the woods for three days until he heard deputies at his home, according to the sheriff's office. Authorities said the man used "the last of his strength" to call out for the deputies and "miraculously be found."
The suspect was arrested and booked into the Stevens County Jail on attempted murder charges.
The sheriff's office said both deputies involved in the rescue have been selected to receive a commendation. Authorities also thanked the citizen who called in the welfare check.
