Missing Person in Idyllwild
September 7, 2025
Off Hwy 243 near Pine Cove-Idyllwild, CA
Mission 2025-030
Written by: Richard Yocum
The call came in at 1238 am for a missing person a few miles north of Pine Cove-Idyllwild along Hwy 243. Ed and I made the short drive from Idyllwild and spent the first 15 minutes or so working on finding the location in the dark because the address was not clearly marked. After a quick briefing from a couple of deputies on scene, we conducted an interview with the reporting party, who was among 8 friends spending the weekend at an Airbnb. Their friend was last seen about 6:30 pm the evening before when they went back to their cabin because they were not feeling well. Prior to RMRU getting the call, the Sheriff’s Rescue9 helicopter conducted an aerial search using public announcements and infrared detection, without results.
Ed and I started at the cabin and then outside the cabin looking for footprints or other signs of travel. Almost immediately a Sheriff’s bloodhound and handler arrived on scene, and we paused our efforts while I accompanied the bloodhound to attempt to discern at least a direction of travel. Shortly after the bloodhound completed its search, Dave Kosmal arrived with our comms van. Ed and Dave were deployed as a field team to search beginning with the area where the dog showed interest while I got the comms van systems up and running.
We worked through the night until about 6 am, covering the 8-acre property plus another 3 acres, without finding any clues. I was setting up a second operational period to begin at 8 am, requesting searchers from RMRU and Riverside Sheriff’s Search Dogs, as well as another aerial search. Ed left for home and just as Dave and I were thinking about grabbing some breakfast to fortify us for the next stage of the search, our missing person walked on their own back to the Airbnb. They had apparently taken some “shrooms” and spent the night in the forest on their own in an altered state until daylight arrived and they found their way home. I immediately phoned Dave Bever, who was en route, and told him to turn around. Our missing person was evaluated on scene by EMS.
RMRU Members Involved: (Dave Bever, Ed Gelabert, Dave Kosmal, and Richard Yocum)
Other Agencies Involved: (Riverside County Sheriff’s Aviation Rescue 9 helicopter and bloodhound)