Woman and child safe after becoming lost in the desert

PHOENIX (KSAZ) - A woman new to the valley became stuck in the desert and then had to be rescued by authorities.

The woman who had just moved to the Valley from Utah said she was driving in the desert with her daughter, got stuck in and sand and called for help.

They called 9-1-1, and you would imagine they would stay in their car waiting for help, but that is not what happened. The mother and her 11-year-old for some reason wandered off into the desert and authorities do not know why.

To make matters worse, the mother and daughter were somehow separated on a really cold night.

It took Goodyear Police, a Phoenix Police helicopter, a DPS helicopter, and bloodhounds from the Arizona Department of Corrections several hours to find the girl and her mom. Both were chilled to the bone, but safe. It's a reminder that the desert cold can be just as deadly as the desert heat.

"It's ironic people come here to escape the cold, but must remember we are having these cold temperatures and must remember to be prepared," said Lisa Kutis with Goodyear Police.

Bill Walker, Lisa Leno, and Jeff Gillen were in the same area on Tuesday. They're enjoying the sparkling winter days but have a healthy respect for the desert's dangers.

"We do canyoneering, we always get out before dark, people don't realize the temperature drops that much," said Bill Walker.

"The desert is extremely dangerous, and you really do need to carry a lot of equipment, all sorts of safety equipment," said Jeff Gillen.

Both the woman and her daughter are expected to be okay.