Sharon Bates Was Trapped In Crater For A Week, Was Suicide Her Goal?

Sharon Bates is an Oregon woman who was trapped in a crater for a week. After being rescued people are already questioning how she ended up there in the first place.

In a related report by The Inquisitr, the death of Julia Roberts’ half sister is being questioned as a suicide.

Reports say Bates became trapped in a crater measuring 30 feet wide and twelve feet deep that used to be an old well. The crater was located near a cemetery in Cottage Grove, a small town located about 130 miles south of Portland. Bates was apparently not ready for the freezing conditions nor did she have any food when she became trapped inside the crater.

Bates’ sister reported her disappearance this past Sunday so police began a search for her. But it was not until a week later they found Bates in the crater after the family recalled she liked walking the area near the cemetery and might have been climbing Mount David, a popular hiking area.

Police say she was in “surprisingly good condition” considering the fierce snowstorm that hit the area during the week, driving temperatures below freezing during the night. Bates is said to have survived by collecting snow and rain water in a plastic bag she found at the bottom of the crater. The evergreen trees nearby also provided some cover against the weather.

Some reports are claiming Bates might not have intended to survive when she first became trapped in the crater. Police say a friend was told to take care of her dog if she didn’t return. If she was never heard from again she said, “Then I’ve gone home to the lord.”

Police officer Conrad Gagner says Bates may have attempted suicide, but changed her mind after becoming trapped in the crater:

“I believe that was probably her intent when she went up there. I think based on how happy she was to see us and how accepting she was of our help I think that at some point she had a change of heart.”

The good news is that, despite being trapped in a crater for a week, Sharon Bates survived the ordeal and is recovering in a hospital. Health experts are saying that it’s amazing that she survived so long long in the frigid conditions, where the medical odds of survival are slim.