Missing woman found buried in snow in her SUV

Paula Beth James' family feared she was dead

BUTTE MEADOWS, Calif. (KYMA, KECY/NBC News) - Rescuers found a California woman who's been missing for more than a week alive. She was inside her SUV buried in feet of snow.

68-year-old Paula Beth James disappeared on January 9. Butte County Sheriff's deputies issued a silver alert for James, but received few clues to her whereabouts.

Then, on Wednesday, a sheriff's helicopter spotted her SUV buried in snow in Butte Meadows. That's about 30-miles east of Chico. Her vehicle was about 150-yards off the road.

Paramedics rushed her to the hospital. She was severely dehydrated, but doctors expect her to be okay.

James' family says she suffers from dementia. They feared she was dead. They call it a miracle that rescuers reached her in time.

Family members say she stayed warm by periodically turning on the car for heat, and bundling up in floor mats and moving blankets.

They say she's in surprisingly good spirits in spite of her ordeal.