70-year-old man found safe after spending five nights in wilderness west of Lake Tahoe
Submitted by Kelsey Penrose on Thu, 07/25/2024 - 10:01am
Warren Elliott went missing Friday afternoon while going for a walk after doing trail rehab work ahead of the Jeep Jamboree along the Rubicon 4x4 trail. Since then, up to 100 searchers a day from 10 agencies from across the state have been looking for the 70-year-old man.
It was long-awaited news at 8 a.m. Wednesday, July 24, when the Placer County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) received a 911 text from someone stating they were with a missing person at Hell Hole Reservoir. It was quickly confirmed they were with Warren.
A CHP helicopter picked him up and transported him back to the command post at Homewood Mountain Resort. Mr. Elliott was greeted by cheers and clapping and had an emotional reunion with his family.
Mr. Elliott shared with PCSO that he had gone out for a walk at approximately 3 p.m. on July 19 in an area he was familiar with, but when he went to walk back to the area where his group was camping in Rubicon Springs, he began walking in the wrong direction.
He did drink water from the river and found a handful of berries to eat. From the point he was last seen, near Cadillac Hill, to the area where he was found, Hell Hole Reservoir, is roughly nine miles as the crow flies; however, he walked much further than that over the five days.
Mr. Elliott was not hurt and is in good spirits, according to PCSO.
The Sheriff's Office would like to thank everyone who aided in the search for Warren, including:
California National Guard
Nevada National Guard
Cal OES Search and Rescue
Civil Air Patrol
Bay Area Mountain Rescue Unit
California Rescue Dog Association
Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue
Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office UAS (drones)
Alpine County Sheriff’s Department & Search and Rescue
Marin County Sheriff’s Office & Search and Rescue
Nevada County Sheriff’s Office Incident Command Support & Search and Rescue
San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office & Search and Rescue
Solano County Sheriff’s Office & Search and Rescue
They also want to thank the Jeepers Jamboree workers who fed the Search and Rescue teams that spent the night in the field. They also provided food to those searching along the trail.
