FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KMJ/KFSN) — Her story has captured eyes across the nation, and on Friday, we heard from Tiffany Slaton for the first time.
The Georgia woman was found safe after going missing in the Fresno County mountains for three weeks.
She, along with her parents and the Fresno County Sheriff, held a press conference earlier.
On Wednesday, Slaton was found safe inside a cabin near Lake Edison.
Her family had reported her missing on April 29, just over a week after she began a solo camping trip.
Slaton says she took a “significant fall” off a cliff, leading to her relying on her forging skills to survive.
“I was coming to try and do a camping trip, so I had two sleeping bags and a basic tent,” she said. “At the end, after fighting nature for such a long time, I lost my tent. I lost my vestibule and I did eventually lose both sleeping bags, so I was outside with nothing but a lighter in a knife.”
Slaton says she relied on her foraging skills to survive.
When the owner of the cabin finally found her, she was battered, bruised and we’re told she had damage to her eyes, which is why she was wearing sunglasses.
Listen to the report by KMJ’s Liz Kern.
