MELBA, Idaho — Two hunters saved a 72-year-old woman's life Saturday, Dec. 9th after finding her crashed car halfway down a Canyon County cliff near the corner of Melba Road and Rim Road.
The Nampa Police Department (NPD) reported Penny Kay Clark missing on Tuesday, Dec. 5, after the family had not had contact with her. She was expected to be shopping in Marsing or Kuna, according to Canyon County Sheriff Kieran Donahue.
The two hunters, Eddie Hower and Chase Hamilton, frequent the Melba cliff area often in the summer months. They chose to brush by the area on a whim on Saturday.
"We don't come out here in the winter. There's no reason for us to besides to look [at the view]," Hower said. "And this is where we ended up and it all make sense."
The two found Penny's ID in the car. A quick Facebook search revealed to them she was a missing person; the pair called the police, who later found her alive further down the cliff.
Multiple agencies responded to aid in the rescue effort including the sheriff’s office, NPD, and Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue. A helicopter flew Penny to a local hospital; she suffered no broken bones, according to Hower and Hamilton.
"In my experience, this is a less than 1% chance of surviving this and God had a different plan," Donahue said. "[Hower and Hamilton are] the true heroes here. They really are. They're the ones that saved this woman's life."
Clark's family is asking for privacy at this time.
"Penny's daughter arrived on scene when Penny got down to the ambulance," Hower said. "She said, 'I never thought listening to my mom snore in a hospital bed would be the best Christmas present to receive and I hope your Christmas is just as special as this.' It really hit home."
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