Woman rescued at Red Rock is released from hospital

Tuesday, May 11, 2004 | 10:12 a.m.

Christine Asleson, the missing hiker who was found on Friday in Red Rock Canyon, reportedly was released from University Medical Center on Monday night.

Metro Police also reported Monday that Asleson, upon the advice of her family, cut off an interview with investigators when they began pressing her for details to reconcile her initial accounts with those of the team that searched for her.

Members of the search and rescue team were suspicious about her story because they said they had searched the area where she said she had been.

Metro Sgt. Clint Bassett last week claimed Asleson could not have been where she said she was during the time she was missing.

Bassett, who led the search and rescue team that hunted for Asleson after her son reported her missing, said the team had repeatedly searched the place Asleson claims to have occupied.

Asleson was rescued when two tourists heard her yelling from a cliff near Bonnie Springs Ranch. She was hospitalized and treated for dehydration.

"At this point, we have no reason to discredit her," Metro spokesman Sgt. Rick Barela said on Monday. "If a reason comes about through the course of our investigation, we will deal with it at that point."

Police detectives will interview Asleson in the next few days as part of the routine follow-up that accompanies any missing person case, Barela said.

He noted that "tens of thousands of dollars of public assets and literally hundreds of hours in manpower" went into the search for Asleson, and said "the public has a right to know" what really happened.

If Asleson's story is found to be false, criminal charges could be brought, depending on the circumstances, Barela said.

Reached in her hospital room on Monday, Asleson said her son, Jason Caudill, would speak for her and she refused to comment further. Caudill did not return several phone messages on Monday.