Authorities say a missing mother and her child were recently found in woodland deep in California, and rescuers found them after notes left by the woman.
In another unmodern twist in this rescue story, the searcher also gets help from HAM Radio.
The Calaveras County Volunteer Search and Rescue Team received a report Saturday that said the woman and her 9-year-old son did not return from the trip, according to a children’s summer camp near the county sheriff’s office. When the team conducted a local search, an agent was sent to start the investigation.
The department said in a press release that the two were traveling by car and that the mother was lost after using the GPS unit, which provided instructions for remote roads in addition to the universal route. As she penetrated into the remote forest area, she lost all the signal and they were unable to recover the original route.
To get help, she and her son made several efforts to make themselves more visible, and the deputies said: Mom posted notes on the trail, and her son would whistle quickly three times in a row – an international help signal – and the woman turned on the dangerous lights of the vehicle as they waited in the dark night in the dark.
Authorities obtained the general position of the two, because they shared their position with the reporting party through the app before they disappeared. According to the release, the search and rescue team then used four-wheeled utility vehicles to hunt through the area’s “Labryrinth” network.
During the search, an agent and forest service law enforcement ranger received another report from the camper that described seeing a vehicle matching the missing person on Friday, deputies said. The location is in the same area, so they know they are on the right track.
Then, on Saturday evening, the search and rescue team encountered a handwritten notes posted along the forest service road that begged authorities to assist the stranded mother and son. Rescuers along the road, found another breadcrumb, a second note, and other information – such as the name and phone number of the missing person
“Help me and my son have no service and cannot call 911,” the deputies said. “We are on the road to the right. Please call 911 and get help for us.”
The woman and her son were found a mile in their car, deputies said.
The team hopes to communicate as soon as possible to discover the missing boy and his mom were found and what their next steps were. But dense forests and canopies make cell phones and conventional radio frequencies. They resort to frequencies of amateur radios, commonly known as HAM Radio, to broadcast emergency alerts.
In his home ham radio setup, it was former communications director El Dorado County Retiree. According to the press release, he heard the alarm and contacted authorities to communicate the message.
The woman and the boy did several things that played a role in helping rescue workers, deputies said in a press release.
“In the result of success, it is important that they have their pre-travel notifications, i.e. telling someone where they are going and when they expect them to come back,” the deputies said.
