‘The unknown was a little scary;’ Brookville woman speaks out after going missing in New Mexico

BROOKVILLE — It’s been one week since two Brookville women who went missing in New Mexico were found.

Now they’re back in Ohio safe with their families.

Robyn Bodine and Tracie Shoe went on a trip to Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, about two hours south of Albuquerque, to stay at the Riverbend Hot Springs.

>> Previous Coverage: Two Brookville women reported missing found ‘alive and well’ in New Mexico national forest

The two women checked out of their hotel but never boarded their flight home. They were later found in their vehicle that was stuck in mud in an “extremely remote area” in a national forest in New Mexico.

Bodine told News Center 7 she isn’t sure how long they had been driving before they realized they were lost.

“There was a point where we realized that the destination that we put in the GPS was no longer guiding us,” she said. “I think around that same time we realize we had no phone service.”

Bodine said they noticed the roads start to change.

>> Previous Coverage: ‘I just want my mom home;’ Loved ones want answers after 2 area women go missing in New Mexico

“We didn’t have plans to go to a national forest or anything like that, but ultimately that’s where we ended up and and got stuck the first time,” Bodine said.

RAW VIDEO: Brookville woman speaks out after going missing in New Mexico RAW VIDEO: Brookville woman speaks out after going missing in New Mexico

The two women were able to free their vehicle the first time it became stuck in the mud, but were unable to do so a second time.

“You could just look at it and say that we’re not getting out of this,” she said.

At some point during the day, Bodine said a text message came through on her phone, so there was some hope that they could find cellphone service.

This is when the pair started walking in the direction they came from as well as the opposite direction.

“The unknown was a little scary,” Bodine said. “All in all we did about 17 miles that day.”

With no success finding cellphone service, the two women headed back towards their car. Bodine said she stepped into a mud pit and ended up walking out of her shoes and socks.

“I did the last mile and a half, two miles barefoot,” she said.

They made it back to the car and decided to stay put for the night.

Police said finding Bodine and Shoe was an effort that spanned multiple agencies and states.

Brookville police were working with the FBI, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, law enforcement in New Mexico and many other people who came together to help bring the two women home.

Bodine’s husband, Troy, knew something was wrong when his wife and Shoe were no longer answering their phones.

“Troy had called and said, ‘Hey, I need you to do a report. My wife is missing,’” said Brookville Police Chief Douglas Jerome.

Fear of abduction was on the top of their minds being so close to the border.

“That’s usually where you go to first. You know, nefarious actions, what’s gone wrong, what’s happened” said FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Richard Ruggieri.

Officers quickly realized that was not the case thanks to bank records being too far north.

“We’re in a missing situation versus an abduction situation,” Jerome said.

The search continued with help from the Truth or Consequences Police Department in New Mexico and the FBI.

“The FBI, they were tremendous. They quickly produced a map for us of the two cell phone pings,” Jerome said.

The locations pinged in a part of the Gila National Forest.

“The Gila National Forest, which is 3 million acres in size. To compare that a little bit, the Yellowstone National Forest is only 2.2 million acres so it’s even bigger than that,” Jerome said.

A nearby sheriff from another county was called and started looking for the women.

“I said, ‘I need you to do me a favor. I need you to go to 59 and I need you to drive west,’” Jerome said. “The deputies even said they almost gave up because they didn’t see anything.”

But they kept searching.

“They saw the marks going off the road, found the car stuck in mud,” Jerome said.

That’s when Bodine and Shoe were found.

“Their sheriff’s office folks on the ground really were the heroes,” Jerome said.

Bodine says she and Shoe are both overwhelmed by the amount of support and love from everyone.

“I can’t say enough things about every single person that helped bring us home,” she said.

ExpandAutoplay

Image 1 of 5

Stuck Vehicle Robyn Bodine and Tracie Shoe's vehicle stuck in mud in the Gila National Forest.

©2023 Cox Media Group