In 2011 a case of death by GPS took place along the scenic route in a lush region of Northern Elko County, Nevada (per CBC News). When Albert and Rita Chretien departed from their Penticton, British Columbia home in their Chevrolet Astro minivan, they anticipated an adventurous road trip through rural Nevada that would end in them attending a Vegas convention.
Their efforts to take the scenic route guided by the GPS ended catastrophically when the navigation system instructed them to travel high into the desert mountains and canyons. According to Method Shop, their minivan subsequently malfunctioned, rendering them stranded in the remote mountainside, inciting a two-year, multi-city search for Albert that ultimately ended in them recovering his remains. Miraculously, his wife, Rita Chretien, survived for nearly two months in the isolated mountain region on a diet consisting mostly of snow, trail mix, and small pieces of candy (via Oregon Live). She was found by hunters just as she had resigned herself to death.
In a chilling retelling published by CBC News, she explained that her husband had left after the third day, in search of help and never returned. Upon uncovering Mr. Chretien's body, Sheriff's Deputy David Prall remarked, "this man had tremendous courage and inner strength to get where he was".
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