OTSEGO COUNTY, Mich. — A woman has been found safe after going missing for almost 18 hours in a northern Michigan forest while participating in a YouTube survival challenge.

The Otsego County Sheriff's Office (OCSO) said around 5 p.m. on Friday, a 36-year-old woman from California left the contest's base camp in the Pigeon River Forest in Charlton Township to search for water.

When she didn't return to the camp, her fellow contestants began to search for her on their own.

Deputies said after the contestants couldn't find her, they called 911 around 5 a.m. on Saturday.

A coordinated search effort started immediately, OCSO said, and around 10:40 a.m. a Michigan State Police (MSP) helicopter found her deep in a swampy area.

The woman had been missing in the cold and rain for almost 18

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