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Wrong Turn From Casino Proves Fatal For Couple

A California couple who got lost after leaving a casino two weeks ago have been found in the wilderness - the husband dead and the wife clinging to life.

Dianna Bedwell, 68, was severely dehydrated when she was discovered inside a car in a remote part of San Diego County, say officials.

Ms Bedwell, who was airlifted to a hospital in serious condition, had survived on just rain water, oranges and a pie, authorities said.

The body of her husband, Cecil Knutson, 79, was found next to the vehicle, which was parked on the Los Coyotes Indian Reservation near Warner Springs.

Ms Bedwell told investigators they had been looking for a shortcut when they became stuck on a rugged road.

The couple, both retired school bus drivers of Anaheim, California, were last seen on 10 May leaving the Valley View Casino in Valley Center, which is about 25 miles west of where they were found.

The two had been planning to visit their son's home in the Palm Springs area for a Mother's Day dinner, but never arrived.

Drivers in off-road vehicles found the couple on Sunday afternoon.

Sheriff's Lt Jim Bolwerk told the Orange County Register the area where the couple were found was "at a very high elevation, mountainous, and very thickly forested".

They were driving a 2014 White Hyundai Sonata when they visited the casino.

Sheriff's Lt Ken Nelson said it was "close to a miracle" that Ms Bedwell survived as the couple were apparently diabetic.

"It would be difficult for someone in good health to survive being in the wild for that long, let alone someone like her," he said.

On Sunday evening, a Facebook page entitled Missing Paul and Dianna, launched by the couple's family, posted a picture of the two along with a message that said: "It is them. Rest in peace dad."