July 6, 2022 - The Madera County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) reports At 11:00 A.M. on Thursday June 30, the Madera County Sheriff’s Office was advised of a 16-year-old hiker with lower leg injuries on the John Muir Trail in the National Forest. The patient, a resident of Santa Cruz County, was near Garnett Lake in the Inyo National Forest. Due to the remoteness of the location, Search and Rescue (SAR) Deputies contacted the California Highway Patrol Helicopter H-40 to respond to the location. The H-40 Crew was able to locate the patient and transport her to Mammoth Airport where her mother picked her up and transported her to a regional medical facility.
Around 12:00 P.M. on Thursday, June 30, MCSO Communications Center was contacted regarding two missing children from Reds Meadow Resort in the Inyo National Forest. The 9- and 12-year-old children, residents of Los Angeles County, were hiking with their father when the group got separated. While a response was being coordinated between our office, Mono County Sheriff, United States Forest Service, and National Park Service, the children were found by a hiker in the area after they used whistles to get the hiker’s attention. The hiker was able to get the children back to Reds Meadow Resort and reunited them with their party.
At 2:00 P.M. on Thursday, June 30, Madera County Deputies responded along with Fresno County Sheriff’s Deputies to the area of Horseshoe Bend along the San Joaquin River between Redinger Lake and Kerchhoff Lake for a report of a missing kayaker. Deputies from both offices arrived and began searching for the man, a 35 year-old resident of Fresno County, along the river. A short time later, the Fresno County Sheriff's Helicopter, Eagle-1, arrived in the area, and located the man on the edge of the San Joaquin River. Eagle-1 was able to land near the subject, load him into the helicopter, and transport him back to the parking lot where he was returned to his party.
Around 8:30 P.M. on Friday, July 1, the Madera County Sheriff’s Office was advised of two kayakers’ who were overdue from their journey at Kerckhoff Reservoir to the footbridge that spans the San Joaquin River at Squaw Leap. The Fresno Sheriff’s Office Helicopter searched but were not able to locate the party. It soon became too dark and hazardous to continue the search in this area due to its steep and remote terrain. In the early morning on Saturday, July 2, SAR Deputies requested the assistance of California Highway Patrol’s Helicopter H-40. The H-40 crew was able to locate the two kayakers and transported them to awaiting family at Millerton State Park. Both subjects were uninjured and in good health.
On Saturday, July 2, SAR personnel deployed to assist with the search for an unaccounted for 13 year old girl at Eastman Lake, who was sadly discovered deceased at the scene.
Madera County Sheriff Tyson Pogue states, “We are always grateful for the commitment of our Search and Rescue crews and the allied agencies we routinely call upon to serve our public during their greatest time of need. We thank them all for their service and partnership.”
Source: Madera County Sheriff’s Office
