Missing woman's empty car discovered near Slab City. Months later, she's found alive.

A North Carolina woman has been found alive in Colorado nine months after she was reported missing, authorities announced earlier this week.

Kelsey Pittman, 33, was reported missing in November 2024 by her family after they lost contact with her, according to the Inyo County Sheriff's Office in Bishop, California.

On Feb. 9, an unidentified individual contacted the agency, alerting officials to a suspicious vehicle, a 2009 Chevrolet HHR, near Slab City, a remote California tourist attraction about 63 miles south of Joshua Tree.

Many of the residents there live as part of an alternative community, which has previously been described as a “drifter’s utopia.”

After locating the vehicle, police were able to confirm the car was registered to Pittman. Though police searched the car and surrounding area, they were not able to track down Pittman’s whereabouts, leading to an extensive missing person investigation and search effort, authorities said in a July 22 release posted to social media.