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Road Trip Turns Deadly In Australian Outback As Body Of Missing Woman Found

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The body of a woman missing for more than two weeks in the Australian Outback has been found, authorities in the country’s Northern Territory said. 

Claire Hockridge, her partner Tamra McBeath-Riley, and Phu Tran went missing last month after telling friends they were going for a drive south of the town of Alice Springs, where current daytime temperatures can exceed a sweltering 40C.

sweltering heat outback

"We are all grieving and exhausted from the emotional roller-coaster that we've ridden over the past one and a half weeks."

 “We’re really, really grateful to everyone who’s supported us through what has been a tremendously difficult, agonizing time,” Sarah Hockridge added. 

The trio’s vehicle became stuck in the Hugh River on November 19.

The Trio's Vehicle Became Stuck in The Hugh River

Police launched a search operation after they were reported missing on November 23.

The group tried for three days to free their vehicle, McBeath-Riley said after being released from hospital Monday, 9 News Australia reported.
They survived on biscuits, beef noodles and a six pack of vodka until they ran out of supplies, McBeath-Riley told ABC.
Police have found the body of Claire Hockridge, who had been missing in the Australian Outback for more than two weeks
McBeath-Riley, who stayed by the group’s car, was located first by a rescue helicopter.
 
Police said she was found in good condition, having kept hydrated by boiling and drinking ground water found nearby.
 
Tran and Hockridge left the vehicle to find help. Tran was found by a farmer about 160 kilometers southwest of Alice Springs, police said.
From left: Tamra McBeath-Riley, Phu Tran, Claire Hockridge

Authorities eventually found footprints they believed belonged to Hockridge which lead them to her body. 

In a similar incident earlier this year, an Australian couple was rescued from a crocodile-ridden part of Australia’s remote north after lighting a fire and drawing the word “help” in mud to attract the attention of search crews.

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