In the weeks after her return, Mia finally began sharing the full story behind her mysterious disappearance. She explained that she had spotted an ivory-billed woodpecker, thought extinct, while exploring the woods near her home.

Excited, she had packed her backpack with notebook and carving tools, planning to track the rare bird and document its presence. But while crossing the creek, she accidentally dropped the precious bag. In her eagerness to retrieve it, Mia went off trail and quickly became lost in the dense forest. Her memory after that was fragmented, but she remembered Mrs. Thorne taking care of her. Feeding her and making sure she was allright.