At 16:36, the Emergency Response Center received a report that a woman who had gone mushroom picking in the Paunküla area had walked away from her companion and could not find her way back. At first she tried to navigate out of the forest using Google Maps, but her phone battery began to drain quickly. When her companion reached the edge of the forest and realized she was missing, he notified the police, the Northern Prefecture said.

"We contacted the woman by phone and asked her to stay where she was and call the Emergency Centre so her location could be determined more precisely from the call. This allowed us to narrow down the search area. Since her phone battery was already almost empty, we asked her not to use the phone further and save the remaining charge," said Mirjam Volmre of the Ida‑Harju police station, who led the search.

Several police patrols, a police dog handler with Karmo, a volunteer dog handler, professional and volunteer rescuers, and drones were involved in the search. The area was surveyed with a thermal camera, and volunteer rescuers searched using ATVs.

According to Volmre, the main goal is always to find the missing person as quickly as possible, because time works against someone lost in the forest and every minute matters.

"The weather was getting worse, rain had started and darkness was approaching. So we gradually brought in additional resources to reach the woman before conditions deteriorated further," she said.

A Police and Border Guard Board helicopter was also deployed.

At 19:20, just as the helicopter arrived in the search area, the police dog handler and Karmo found the woman in the forest. Medics examined her and confirmed she was fine.

"The woman was in good spirits and extremely happy that we found her," the dog handler said.

Volmre noted that the case once again shows how important it is to go into the forest with a fully charged mobile phone.

"If you realize you're lost, you should immediately notify the Emergency Center. The sooner we receive the information, the sooner we can begin the search. If police ask you to stay put — in an open, easily visible spot — and conserve your phone battery, these instructions must be followed. A phone with a dead battery cannot be located, and we cannot contact the missing person if needed," she emphasized.

The woman also had a white bucket with her. A white bucket is a good choice for going into the forest, as it stands out clearly against the multicolored natural landscape and helps search teams spot a person more quickly.

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