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The missing mother and her child were recently found in deep California’s woodland by rescuers who found them after following the traces of notes left by the woman, authorities said.
Another non-modern twist in this rescue story also led searchers to get help from Ham Radio.
According to the county sheriff’s office, Caraveras County volunteer search and rescue teams received reports on Saturday that they had not returned from their trip to Camp Wolfeboro, a children’s summer camp near the Stanislaus National Forest the previous day. Deputies were dispatched to begin the investigation while the team did a search on the ground.
The two were traveling by car and their mother got lost after using a GPS unit that provides directions on remote roads in addition to the usual routes, the department said in a news release. As she moved deep into the remote woodland, she lost no signal at all and was unable to follow her original route.
To get help, she and her son made some effort to make themselves more visible, the lawmaker said: The mother posted a note on their trail, her son regularly blew whi three times in a fast, consecutive time – an international signal for help – and as they waited for the night in the dark, the woman turned on the hazard lights in her car.
Authorities have acquired a general location for the pair. Because before they went missing, they shared their location with reporting parties via the app. According to the release, the search and rescue team used four-wheel utility terrain vehicles to look into “Labryrinth-like” networks of interconnected roads in the area.
During the search, deputies and a forest department law enforcement ranger were reported to have received another report from a camper van who described them seeing a vehicle that fits that of a missing person, deputies said. The location was in the same area so they knew they were on the right track.
Then on Saturday evening, a team of search and rescue teams came across a handwritten note that, according to the release, had authorities pleaded with them to support their mother and son who were left behind. The rescuer followed the path and found another loaf of bread. A second note containing additional information such as the name and phone number of the missing person.
“Please help. Me and my son are stuck without service and cannot call 911,” said one memo posted online by the lawmaker. “We’re ahead and heading down the road to the right. Call 911 and ask for help for us.”
The woman and her son were found a mile away by car, deputies said.
The team wanted to communicate as soon as possible about the missing boy and his mom being found and what the next step would be. However, the dense forest and tree canopy has rendered mobile phones and traditional radio frequencies useless. They relied on the frequency used for amateur radios, commonly known as the Ham radio, to broadcast emergency warnings.
It was a retired El Dorado County retiree, a former communications supervisor, who listened to his Homeham radio setup. He heard the alert and contacted authorities to relay the message, according to the release.
At the release, lawmakers said the women and teens did several things that helped support rescuers.
“What’s important in a successful outcome was their advance notice that they would tell someone where they would go and when they would come back,” the lawmaker said.
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