Mike Sutter was out four-wheeling with a group of friends in a remote and rocky area near Warner Springs Sunday when he spotted it.
He saw a sedan far from paved roads.
“The driver of our lead vehicle came down and said, 'You will not believe what's down there,' and then he said, 'Bring water,'” Sutter said.
Down the rocky dirt road, about 50 miles away from Valley Center, Sutter and his friends found a white Hyundai Sonata out of place.
“I’m very glad we got there when we did,” he said in an exclusive interview with NBC4's San Diego affiliate, NBC7.
Soon after the discovery, he realized the people he found were a couple that had been missing for two weeks, ever since their Mother’s Day trip to a casino.
Dianna Bedwell and Cecil "Paul" Knutson were last seen leaving Valley View Casino on Mother's Day.
Knutson was found dead and Dianna was found dehydrated in serious condition. She was later taken to a hospital.
“Had we been there two days earlier maybe the old guy would be alive. Had we been here two days later, maybe both of them would be dead,” Sutter said.
He said he found Bedwell in the passenger seat, talking, but dehydrated.
“She was a little confused at the time, didn’t know if he was dead or not, was asking us to check him,” Sutter said.
After finally tracking down authorities in the remote area, medics took Bedwell to Palomar Hospital.
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Sutter said he is happy he found the couple and that Bedwell is alive, but sad Knutson is dead.
“It's sad all the way around. I’m hoping she's going to make a full recovery but, she's going to do it alone,” Sutter said.
He said Bedwell was singing praises to Knutson, telling them he fought to get them out of there while working to keep her comfortable.
He even put cups on their car to catch rain for water.
Officials said Bedwell is in serious condition.
