Woman reported missing in Placerita Canyon is found
Search resumed at dawn Wednesday for a hiker reported missing in Placerita Canyon since shortly after midnight Tuesday — and, after 16 hours in which she was believed missing in the cold and wet canyon area, the hiker was finally found shortly before 5:30 p.m.
All details about the woman’s condition were being handled by missing person investigators of the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department’s Homicide Bureau, Sgt. Eric Caplinger said, noting simply: “She was found.”
When asked about the woman’s condition, Sgt. Michael Rodriguez, of the Homicide Bureau, said only: “She was found at an alternate location,” meaning someplace other than Placerita Canyon.
He offered no other information, stating only that is was a “personal” matter.
At one minute before 1 a.m.
Wednesday, first responders received word of a hiker missing on the Los Pinetos Canyon trail, which meets the 19700 block of Placerita Canyon Road, about 1.5 miles east of the Placerita Canyon Nature Center.
Late Wednesday afternoon, the hiker was still missing, according to Shirley Miller, spokeswoman for the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station.
“The detectives have been down here,” Los Angeles
County Regional Park Superintendent Russell Kimura said Wednesday. “A search and rescue helicopter has been in the area. They’re looking for a person first reported lost.”
A search party made up of deputies with the SCV Sheriff’s Station descended on Placerita Canyon at 7:30 a.m., setting up a command post on East Walker Ranch, east of the Los Pinetos Canyon trail.
A preliminary search was carried out after 1 a.m., which turned up no sign of the hiker.
“At (12:59 a.m.), the sheriff responded to reports of a missing hiker,” said Ed Pickett, spokesman for the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
“We sent out rescue helicopter No. 14,” he said, noting the chopper wrapped up its initial search at 1:50 a.m.