Mariposa County Deputy with the Safir Family and a US Forest Service Ranger
March 19, 2015 - The Safir family, who were en route to Yosemite National Park, contacted the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Emergency Dispatch Center on Tuesday, March 17, 2015 at 6:37 p.m. The Safir’s, who spoke very little English, were able to relay that they were driving from the Stockton area possibly on Hwy. 120, and had been traveling for six hours and were now on a dirt road in the middle of the forest. They were unable to remember which towns they had driven through. Our dispatchers questioned the family on their surroundings to try and get a better idea of where they could possibly be, looking for landmarks or other identifying locations. They did not remember seeing any burnt trees, gates, cows or distinguishing landmarks.
Yosemite National Park Service along with Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office, Madera County Sheriff’s Office, Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office, California Highway Patrol and the US Forest Service were contacted to begin searching in their areas. A description of the car was provided to all units.
The Safir’s had been using their GPS (Global Positioning System) to navigate their way to Yosemite National Park. Using the cell tower pings, a possible location placed the family inside Mariposa County. The family did have cell service and were able to text us with photos of their location. The photos were reviewed by Mariposa County Deputies who identified the location as possibly being near the area known as Chowchilla Mountain. Deputies along with a US Forest Service Ranger searched the area and located the lost family on Wednesday, March 18, 2015 at 3:15 p.m. on a spur road near Chowchilla Mountain Road 9.5 miles north of 5S25 / 5S04 on road 4204 in the area known at 10 Mile Grade.
The family, who were in good spirits, were transported back to Mariposa by Deputies and the Sierra National Forest Ranger.
Source: MCSD
Safir Vehicle on a Forest Service Road
