The shouts for help of Ms Helen Judge, the woman who was kidnapped from her home, could be heard echoing through the trees in Jenkinstown Wood, Co Louth by gardaí who were searching for her.
Ms Judge had not been seen since she was kidnapped from her home in the village of Allenwood in Co Kildare between midnight on Sunday and 2 a.m. on Monday. She was found at 5.30 a.m. yesterday still wearing the night-clothes she had on when she was abducted.
"She was screaming for help and in a very stressed state but did not appear to have any obvious physical injuries," a garda source said. The Garda search for her abductors continues.
There was widespread relief that Ms Judge had been found alive and well. She has a heart condition requiring regular medication, which led to additional concern for her wellbeing.
Jenkinstown Wood is in the Cooley Mountains about half way between Dundalk and Omeath. Despite their local knowledge, it took gardaí two hours to locate Ms Judge because of the vague information they received.
An anonymous telephone call was made to the Garda incident room in Kildare saying she could be found in a wooded area of Omeath. However, there are extensive areas of forest and wood in the area.
Ms Judge was neither gagged nor tied, but appears to have been instructed not to move from where she was left, about 40 yards from the nearest road, which would see little if any traffic during the night.
Despite the fact that the area is associated with strong Republican support, it is believed there was no paramilitary involvement in the abduction.
"If they [Provisional IRA\] had been involved in something like this, there would probably have been a larger ransom demanded and more than likely a different person would have been the subject of the abduction," one source said. It is more likely that a criminal gang, possibly Dublin-based, was involved.
However, Garda spokesman Insp Ray McHugh said gardaí were not speculating on who was involved, that they now had another crime scene and the investigation had moved on.
"She is in pretty good shape but has been through a nightmare ordeal, her medical condition is paramount. This is just part of a jigsaw and a major criminal investigation is under way." He also thanked the public for the assistance they had given to date. "Our aim now is to catch the perpetrators."
Gardaí immediately took Ms Judge to the Louth County Hospital in Dundalk where she was assessed and medical tests carried out.
Late yesterday afternoon, she spoke to two members of the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation and it is understood that members of her family also visited her. She is expected to be released from hospital later today.