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Missing mother found alive
Justin Matthews reports
OLDSMAR, Fla. - A missing mother who was last spotted leaving an Oldsmar Walmart was found safe after she disappeared nearly a week ago, deputies said.
The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said Anu Awasthi was found near a CVS at Tampa Road and Forest Lakes Boulevard in Oldsmar. Investigators said her disappearance does not appear to be suspicious.
Pictured: Anu Awasthi.
RELATED: Family of missing mother searches for answers after she disappears from Oldsmar Walmart
Awasthi was last seen on Thursday, August 10, when her husband dropped her off at a Walmart in Oldsmar for a hair appointment. But an hour after dropping her off, he returned to find she was gone.
"And, I asked the salon person, and she said, ‘yes, she walked out right after you,’" Vikas Awasthi, her husband, said on Monday when he spoke with FOX 13.
Her family continued to search for her and even gathered with community members to spread flyers with Anu's picture on it with information about the wife and mother of two.
A group of volunteers for the non-profit "We Are the Essentials," found Anu Awasthi in a forest area in the same shopping center as Walmart and CVS on Forest Lakes Boulevard and Tampa Road. They’ve been assisting with the search efforts for days.
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Previous coverage: Search underway for missing mother
Ariel Plasencia reports
They began Wednesday’s search with drones around 11 a.m., and by 3 p.m., volunteers double-checked the forest area in the Walmart parking lot.
"We had been searching around, and we found a CVS bag, and we knew she had been in CVS seven days ago, so we started doing a converged grid search, then about 20 minutes after that, we started hearing some whimpering," said Nico Tusconi, the president of We Are the Essentials. "Started moving toward that sound, started to yell her name, that whimpering got louder, almost to a cry, I called out for my colleagues here, they were able to call 911 and follow my voice, and the next thing we know, we have Anu."
Tusconi said Awasthi seemed to be in a state of shock and was in bad condition, but was able to communicate.
"One of the first words out of her mouth were, ‘how are my boys, where are my boys,’ and I reassured her that her boys had been looking for her," said Tusconi.
It’s unclear as to why she was in the forest area.
"It’s more or less like a jungle in there, swamp area, there’s about a 6-foot alligator back there, not aggressive, but not friendly either," Tusconi said.
He says the Awasthi family was reunited Wednesday night at a nearby hospital.
"We Are the Essentials" is comprised of former military and law enforcement officers. The group is donation-based. If you want to help or get involved, click here.