Missing 11-Year-Old Near Convict Lake 

July 14, 2025 – Mono County Sheriff Search and Rescue Team officials report that on Monday, July 7th at 1403 hours, the Team was called out for a search for an 11-year-old non-verbal boy with autism in the Convict Lake area. The family reported that he had wandered away at approximately 1:00 P.M. (1300 hours) from the west end of the lake. The Rescue Base was established at the Convict Lake Marina, and the Team responded with our standard apparatus as well as our Inflatable Rescue Boat (IRB) and water rescue equipment.

As the Team was preparing to launch the IRB, a report came in that the boy had been found by Long Valley Fire (LVFD), who was also assisting in the search. LVFD reported that they had searched the area around the creek and circled back—they believe they may have 'flushed' the boy back to the lake, where he was held by a pair of fishermen who had been notified of the search. The family was reunited with the boy and they were chartered across the lake by a Convict Lake Marina pontoon boat.

The call was terminated at 2:56 P.M. (1456 hours).

IC: Rhoads // Ops Leader: Thompson // Responders: Lipman, Quiring, Buchanan, Cucura, Huizingh, Knight, Barker, Wallace, Case, Cowan, Thompson (11)

Volunteer hours: 9.7

Our 501(c)(3) team is made up entirely of unpaid community members volunteering their own time and primarily their own equipment. We rely on donations to fund team equipment, higher-level rescue and medical training, and facilities maintenance. To learn more about our all-volunteer team and to support our efforts, please visit https://www.monosar.org/donate.

Source & photo: Mono County Sheriff Search and Rescue Team