Missing woman found alive, trapped in car

A Maple Valley woman who went missing from Bellevue on Sept. 19 was found alive today, trapped in her car near Renton

A Washington State Patrol spokesman said 33-year-old Tanya Rider was found inside the vehicle, which had crashed in a steep ravine. Rider's blue Honda Element was found on Highway 169, below Southeast 196th Street, around 1:45 p.m.

"She looks very pale, very dehydrated. She didn't have a lot of cuts but had difficulty breathing," said State Patrol spokesman Jeff Merrill. "It's hard to say whether she has been there the entire [time]."

Merrill said Rider's car went off the roadway and tumbled about 20 feet down the ravine where it was buried below heavy brush and blackberry bushes. He said it took about 1 ½ hours for a fire department trench rescue team to pull her out. Rescuers had to slice the roof off Rider's car to get her out.

She has been airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with life-threatening injuries, Merrill said.

Tom Rider, Tonya Rider's husband, said this afternoon that his wife appears to be in a bad condition but she is conscious.

"Pretty much she's fighting for her life," he said.

Rider said she was trapped in the car for the entire time she was missing. He was able to see his wife and say "hello," he said.

She is suffering from kidney failure and sores from lying in the same position for a week, Rider said. Doctors are concerned that as they rehydrate her the sores could swell and cause more injuries, he added.

Back at the crash site rescue crews have pulled Rider's vehicle from the ravine where it was found. Merrill, of the State Patrol, described the area as "being steep, rugged and not easily accessible."

Highway 169 has been closed since about 3 p.m.

Rider was last seen leaving work at the Fred Meyer store in Bellevue. The King County Sheriff's Office has been searching for her since then.

Though Rider's family reported her missing Sunday, the search ramped up earlier today when investigators realized that she hadn't been using her bank account, Merrill said. Detectives then traced her cellphone by linking it to a phone tower within five miles of the rugged area.

Investigators "did an intense ground search and located the car off the roadway," Merrill said. Rider normally takes the busy stretch of roadway when traveling home from work.

State Patrol Sgt. Dave Divis said Rider responded when rescuers called her name.

"We have a lot of unanswered questions right now," Merrill said. "It's fortunate she was found. Probably had it been any longer she might not have survived."

Seattle Times staff reporter Brian Alexander contributed to this report.

Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com