2019-037

Bee Canyon Missing Person

July 02, 2019 Hemet to Idyllwild Highway 2019-037

Written by Vinay Rao

At approximately 10:00 am on Tuesday morning the RMRU Team received call about a lost person possibly several miles from the entrance to Bee Canyon (near the Cranston Fire Station on Highway 74 east of Hemet). Responding team members were James, Blake and myself. James, Vinay and Blake (“the RMRU team”) met at the Hemet Sheriff sub-station and drove to the command post (“CP”) where we were met by two Sheriff’s deputies. The deputies indicated that their initial report was that the subject – a male – had called 911 the night before – Monday – indicating he was lost but did not give any additional information. The Sheriff’s Office (“SO”) was able to ping his location to within approximately 400 meters. Deputies had been conducting a search through the night on ATVs and were not able to contact the subject.

While the Team was staging at the CP, deputies gathered information that a male has stopped at a nearby residence – Victory Ranch – at approximately 7:30am and had asked to stay there. Victory Ranch was not able to grant his request but did agree to drop him off at a business establishment in Hemet.

The Team waited while deputies drove to the establishment to try and locate this individual. This was to determine whether the subject and the male that stopped at Victory Ranch were the same. The deputies returned to the CP after a long search unable to locate the male. The Team then loaded up with two deputies in an ATV and proceeded through Bee Canyon to the approximate location of the call.

As the Team neared the location, the deputies received a call from the CP that a female has stumbled into a citrus grove near the CP somewhat disoriented. Workers at the grove called down to the CP and the female was brought to the CP by deputies. Based on the initial information that the female provided, the Team and deputies decided to return to the CP.

Given the female’s condition and ambulance was called to evaluate/assist her. After a lengthy wait and a detailed interview of the female by the deputies it was determined that the 911 caller was most likely no longer in the area and the Team was released from the search. The deputies did agree to do a final search with officers only.

RMRU Members Involved: Blake Douglas, James Eckhardt, and Vinay Rao.