April 21, 2023 – San Diego County Sheriff's Department officials report that a North County teenager who went missing after a horseback ride has been found safe. 

On Thursday, April 20 around 5:30 p.m., the Sheriff's Communications Center received a 9-1-1 call regarding 14-year-old Logan Claiborne who had gone missing near the trails off Ricks Ranch Road and McNally Road in Valley Center.

When deputies from the Valley Center Sheriff's Substation contacted Logan's father, they learned the teen had taken his horse to the trails to ride.  When Logan did not return home, his parents started searching the area. They quickly located the horse, but Logan was nowhere to be found.

The Sheriff's Search and Rescue (SAR) Unit was activated while deputies and personnel from CAL FIRE San Diego searched the area for any sign of Logan. A Sheriff's ASTREA helicopter made announcements asking the public to keep an eye out for Logan. As word of his disappearance spread throughout Valley Center, community members started arriving at the Sheriff's Command Post offering assistance to help find Logan.

With the permission of Logan's parents, the Sheriff's Department used its Twitter account, @SDSheriff, to request the public's help in locating him. 

The Sheriff's Communications Center received a call from a community member just before 8:00 p.m. reporting they had located Logan at a convenience store in the 4700 block of Pala Road in Fallbrook. Deputies quickly headed to the location and confirmed it was indeed Logan. He was taken to the hospital after telling deputies he was thrown off his horse. Despite the fall, he is expected to be okay. Logan was then reunited with his family.

The San Diego County Sheriff's Department would like to thank the Valley Center community for their assistance and the media for helping in the search for Logan. 

We also want to give a special thanks to the Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Unit. These specially trained volunteers perform wilderness and urban rescues and search for missing persons. Teams are available 24 hours a day to respond to local, state and federal agency requests. They also help the Sheriff's Department with evacuations during wildfires, flash floods and other natural disasters.

To learn more about SAR or to volunteer, click here.

Source: San Diego County Sheriff's Department