A Lamar woman who had been missing in the Ozark National Forest in northern Johnson County for four days was found alive Thursday afternoon.
According to a post on the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page Michelle D. Goodin, aka Michelle Holt, 37, was found near Haw Creek Falls by Johnson County Search and Rescue. She was dehydrated and will be checked out by medical personnel.
On Wednesday afternoon, family members reported that Goodin did not return home from a weekend camping trip she attended with friends, according to the sheriff.
Rumors began to circulate throughout the community and online that Goodin’s body had been found. There was also talk of a vehicle belonging to a sex offender registered in Missouri was spotted in the area at the time of Goodin’s disappearance.
The sheriff confirmed the U.S. Forest Service put out a bulletin on the incident two weeks ago, but he never believed the two incidents were related.
Deputies and a search team combed the areas surrounding the campground Wednesday night and early Thursday. Sheriff Dorney says a trailing dog followed part of the Ozark Highlands Trail until it branched off onto a 4-wheeler trail where the trail ended.
Units from the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, Johnson County K-9, U.S. Forest Service, Arkansas State Police and the Johnson County Office of Emergency Management Search and Rescue helped with the search.
