UPDATED: Deputies locate lost juvenile hiker in Idyllwild

UPDATE: 7/28/2016 1 p.m. Juvenile located and safely recovered

 

IDYLLWILD – With assistance from Riverside County’s Aviation Unit, a ground deputy was able to locate a 16-year-old juvenile who called 911 this morning, July 28 at about 11:37 a.m. to report he had become separated from a group he was camping with near Idyllwild.

Although it turned out he was not far from where his group was searching for him, the juvenile had become so disoriented he had no idea which way to go and could not follow the aviation crew’s directions back to safety. Additionally, the juvenile would have to cross a difficult ravine to get back to the trail and he was afraid to get more lost while trying to do so.

A deputy hiked most of the way to where the juvenile was when the aviation crew updated that an as of yet unidentified person wearing an orange shirt helped guide the boy back to the trail which would take him back to his group and the searching deputy.

At just after 12:20 p.m. the aviation crew updated that the boy had made it back to the trail and he was located by the ground deputy about 15 minutes later. The deputy advised the boy appeared to be in good condition and was not suffering any injuries. However, the deputy requested Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire and AMR personnel to the trailhead to check the victim for dehydration.

Fire and paramedic personnel arrived in the area of 4 Chimneys Road and Delano Drive at about 12:45 p.m., where they met with the exhausted boy and the deputy.

Emergency medical responders checked the boy, who was determined to have suffered no injuries and he was reunited with his family and friends.

Area and topographical maps show where the juvenile was located (red circle) and where he was taken to be checked by medical personnel (yellow circle).

 

ORIGINAL STORY: Search and Rescue efforts underway for lost juvenile hiker in Idyllwild

 

IDYLLWILD – Search and rescue efforts are currently underway for a 16-year-old boy who became lost from a group he was with while camping near Idyllwild. The boy called 911 at 11:37 a.m. to report he was lost after he went for a hike and got lost. He reported to Riverside County emergency dispatchers he had no food, water, or other supplies.

The young hiker told dispatchers he had been camping with friends and family at an unknown campsite off of State Route 74 when he got separated. He reportedly had no idea where he was camping or where he was and he was starting to have a panic attack.

At the aviation crew’s request, dispatchers told the young hiker to find a shady area and shelter in place until rescuers could locate him. Riverside County’s Aviation Unit and deputies from the sheriff’s Hemet/Valle Vista Station were dispatched to the area to begin searching for the lost hiker.

Riverside County’s “Star 94” arrived in the area just 10 minutes later, at 11:47 a.m., and began searching for the lost hiker using GPS coordinates obtained from the hikers cell phone. Within minutes the aviation crew had located the hiker on a large rock on top of a steep hill near a ravine.

In spite of efforts to guide the boy to a trail that was just 100 yards away from his location, the boy told dispatchers he had no idea which way to go and was unable to get back to the trail due to heavy underbrush.

A deputy who had arrived in the area to assist with the search began making his way through the thick underbrush. However, it appeared that the area might be inaccessible and the deputy requested members of the Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit stand by in case they were needed to assist in helping the boy back to his family and friends.

Members from Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit were contacted as were Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire and AMR personnel. All rescuers are on standby if needed while the ground deputy continued to make his way towards the lost hiker.

 

This is a developing story. Updates will be added as they become available.

 

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