A missing California woman was found Wednesday by police walking alongside a freeway in Lancaster. Laura Lynne Stacy, 28, appeared emotionally disturbed and visibly disoriented after being reported missing for three days.

Stacy's black Acura was found abandoned in a desert roughly 70 miles northeast of Los Angeles Tuesday by police. Detectives said her car ran out of gas on her way home from a local national park, which prompted her to start walking to find help, the Los Angeles Police Department told the New York Daily News.

Police found Stacy wandering by the freeway about 15 miles away from the car. Police say she was unable to cooperate when detectives first attempted to question her about the details of what happened.

Laura Stacy’s mother, Marcy Stacy, said her daughter traveled to Golden Valley Park to take pictures of the area, which is known for its scenic hiking trails.​

"She likes to explore and then when she got in this area she lost track of where she was because she didn’t have her cellphone with her," Marcy Stacy told Fox News. "You can tell she was in the car for awhile. We think she ran out of gas and started walking." ​

California has made headlines in recent months for its missing women. Sherri Papini, 34, went missing for 22 days before a passing motorist similarly spotted her alongside a highway on Thanksgiving Day. Though both women were found in disheveled conditions, Papini was discovered physically battered and bound with restraints. Like Laura Stacy, Papini went missing while exercising. Papini told local police she was abducted during a routine jog by two Hispanic women who beat and tortured her in captivity.

Authorities in the Laura Stacy case had not ruled out foul play and said forensic testing was scheduled to search the abandoned vehicle.​ Authorities were unable to locate Laura Stacy because she dropped her phone while hiking in the desert. A stranger discovered the phone and sent a text message to Laura Stacy's mother.