Woman Who Disappeared During Hike Found Safe After Rescuers Saw Her Shoe Prints and Started Yelling Her Name

Mar. 15, 2025

A helicopter helped lift a 50-year-old woman to safety nearly two days after she went missing in San Diego backcountry.Photo:San Diego Sheriff’s Office

San Diego Sheriff’s Office

Family members called authorities to report the woman missing just before 2 p.m. local time on Saturday, Oct. 26, according to a news release from theSan Diego County Sheriff’s Office.

They said they had not heard from her since she sent them a text the previous morning about starting a hike “near the Lake Morena campground in Campo.”

San Diego County Parks and Recreation later informed deputies “that the woman had missed her checkout time at her cabin near Lake Morena.”

Her personal items were found inside the cabin, while her vehicle was found “near a trailhead in the area.”

The 50-year-old woman was reported missing on Saturday, Oct. 26, more than a day after she last texted family members.San Diego Sheriff’s Office

Around 10 p.m. on Saturday, volunteers with the SDCSO’s Search and Rescue Unit “identified what they believed were the woman’s shoe prints on a trail and began to follow them.”

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The volunteers frequently yelled the woman’s name “hoping to get a response.” Just after 4 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 27, they “heard a woman yell back.”

Volunteers with the San Diego Sheriff’s Search and Rescue team yelled the missing woman’s name for hours before they found her early on Sunday, Oct. 27.San Diego Sheriff’s Office

Less than an hour later, the woman was found “in a steep and rocky area almost 10 miles from where she had parked her vehicle.”

Volunteers remained with the woman until an ASTREA helicopter airlifted to the Lake Morena campground around 8 a.m. local time, “where she received medical treatment.”

“The woman was exhausted, but in good condition” when she was saved, according to the SDCSO.

The 50-year-old woman “was exhausted, but in good condition” when she was found on Sunday, Oct. 27.San Diego Sheriff’s Office

The SDCSO recognized the Search and Rescue Unit volunteers for their “immense dedication and professionalism” during the mission.

The department added, “Their expertise and dedication to helping others is a testament to their character.”

source: people.com