An elderly woman who went missing while mushroom foraging in a remote area of Lassen County was found safe early Saturday morning after an overnight search involving several agencies.
The Lassen County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch Center received a missing person report around 11:22p.m. on Friday, June 13th, stating that an elderly couple had been foraging for mushrooms near McCoy Reservoir and Highway 44 when they stopped for lunch around 2:00p.m. Shortly after, the husband was unable to find his wife. He returned home to gather family members before heading back to the area.
Family members contacted dispatch to report the woman missing as they traveled back to the last known location. This prompted the Lassen County Sheriff’s Office to launch a missing person investigation and initiate a search and rescue mission.
While the exact location wasn’t initially known, family members guided personnel to the vicinity of Mud Lake, near the intersection of Highway 44 and Lassen County Road A-21. By approximately 2:00a.m. on Saturday, two Lassen County Sheriff’s Office deputies, their sergeant and two California Highway Patrol officers arrived at the scene.
Search teams began a ground search of the area, while one deputy patrolled Lassen County Road 112 north of the ground searchers. A little over an hour later searchers heard a person respond to their calls in the direction of the 112 Road. Personnel used handheld radios to guide the Lassen County Deputy toward the voice, where he successfully located the woman safe and sound.
She was reunited with her family at the staging area, and the incident concluded around 4:15 in the morning.
The Lassen County Sheriff’s Office extended its gratitude to the California Highway Patrol and the family for their assistance in the search.
