PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (CBS12) — Newly released body camera video shows the harrowing rescue of a Port St. Lucie woman who went missing and wandered into the St. Lucie River, leading to a day-long search.
The body camera video from the Port St. Lucie Police Department (PSLPD) on Wednesday shows officers searching for the victim, identified as Kelly Marie Catrambone, through a marsh in the thick of the night.
“Kelly, where are you girl?” an officer can be heard asking.
Video continues to show officers walking through the thick Marsh as the search for Catrambone intensifies.
“Come here, come here,” officers can be heard saying when they finally found her.
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The video then shows Catrambone, 37, being pulled out of the water and led through the marsh by officers.
PSLPD said Catrambone was reported missing on Monday, prompting an investigation that led law enforcement to NE Emerson Street.
At about 9 p.m. on Tuesday, drone units with PSLPD were checking the area when an officer suddenly heard a woman calling for help across the St. Lucie River. K-9 officers, with assistance from a private boat owner, were able to find Catrambone 30 minutes later.
The boat owner who jumped in to help was Herb Yancy. He said officers needed a boat and knocked on his door.
“I opened the door, Port St. Lucie police, ‘Hey guys, you got a boat in the water?’ I said, ‘Yeah, let’s go,'” Yancy said.
Yancy drove two officers to the island on his pontoon.
“[We] just sat and listened for a few minutes,” Yancy said. “We heard Kelly whimper, if you will. Over the next 20 or 30 minutes, we heard that two or three times, and every time she did, we got a little closer to her until one of the officers got down in the water and actually made eye contact with her and pulled her into the boat.”
Police say she was found stuck in approximately two feet of water near an island of mangroves and was unable to move.
She had no injuries but was extremely dehydrated, police say.
Following her rescue, Catrambone was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
Catrambone’s brother Jim Catrambone declined an interview but sent a statement on behalf of the family.
The statement read, “Our family would like to offer our deepest gratitude to the Port St. Lucie Police Department, including the detectives, search and rescue divers, drone team, and K9 officers, for their quick and extraordinary efforts in locating and rescuing our sister. We are incredibly thankful for their professionalism, teamwork, and compassion during such a frightening time. Thanks to their swift response, our sister is now safe and recovering well. We cannot express how grateful we are for the heroes who worked tirelessly to bring her home.”
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