Three years ago, Kathleen Bautista was found dying in the jungle. Now, more details about how she was horribly missing were revealed.
A 19-year-old girl, Kathleen Bautista, sent a chilling text message to her parents after she disappeared. Six days later, she was found dying in the jungle
Kathleen, who was only 19 years old, drove her car into the dense jungle on the outskirts of Canberra.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the information she sent to her family during the period before the accident worried the authorities and was eager to find her.
"I'm sorry forever," she sent such a message to her parents in the morning of September 5, 2015.
The teenager, described by friends as "lively" and "social butterfly," was diagnosed with clinical depression a year before the crash and has previously discussed self-harm.
She increasingly relies on alcohol and drug to cope with feelings of despair, and doesn't remember what decisions she made before driving to her destination.
"I only remember (in the jungle). I don't remember where I went or why I chose it. I don't know how I planned it. I don't know how I found that place. I've never been there before. "
Kathleen's Hyundai car was found crashing into a steep embankment, but when searchers found it about seven days after she was reported missing, they were shocked to find no one in it.
As they searched for the wreckage of the vehicle, a small hand rose from the embankment, sending a faint and feeble distress signal. This hand belongs to the wounded, dehydrated but alive Kathleen Bautista..
Investigators and Kate herself believe that she may have been in the car for several days unconsciously. After waking up, she somehow stepped out of the wreckage of the car, with broken glass in her ankle and neck, and walked some distance along the embankment. She did not realize, however, that she was going in the wrong direction, farther and farther away from the side of the road.
Since the accident in change's life, Kathleen's family, especially her sister Megan, have learned more about complex mental illness.
Megan had difficulty sympathizing and understanding Kathleen, before the accident, but she has now learned to understand it as much as possible.
Kathleen was found near her car by a creek in Cotter Reserve, west of Canberra.
Kathleen believes that the story of her survival may help others who are suffering.
"the way depression breaks out is completely consuming a person. Even if there is a bit of hope for yourself, frustration will still try to break this little hope, but it is clear that there is, because I am still here, and I have come out. "
Kathleen's story is aimed at reducing prejudice against mental illness and encouraging people who are suffering from it to speak out and receive the treatment they deserve.
If you also have mental health problems, please ask for help as soon as possible.
For confidential support, call Lifeline 24-hour crisis support at 13 11 14.
For additional support, please call Beyond Blue, at 1300 22 4636.
