BOONE – Boone police and the community at large were relieved today to discover that student Mary-Anne Forsythe, of the Appalachian music department, is alive after being discovered this week in a Broyhill Music Center practice facility.

Forsythe, a 20-year-old flute performance major, was reported missing by friends and family in late February of this year, as none of them had seen or been able to contact Forsythe over a period of many weeks.

“We were worried sick and had almost given up hope,” said roommate Tara Malkerson, a junior communications major. “Imagine our relief when she was found mostly safe and healthy. I missed so much the twenty minutes a week I get to see her between her studies and music commitments.”

So far, local authorities remain baffled as to how Forsythe survived in such a hostile environment with little sustenance for as long as she did. The music department has avoided comment on this matter, but has hinted at intentions to observe behaviors of those using practice rooms, and is close to announcing an investment in oversized hamster-cage-style water bottles throughout the department.