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A 34-year-old man was reported missing. He never returned home from a hike. Investigators started a search operation.
California – Switch off from everyday life and listen to nature: that is the plan of many people who go hiking. Lukas McClish probably had something similar in mind. However, a hike in the Santa Cruz Mountains (California, USA) ended differently than expected for the 34-year-old. Three hours turned into days – and a battle against time.
Search operation and public assistance: 34-year-old disappears while hiking
The American disappeared on June 11th. That day he set out to go hiking – and did not return. He got lost in the woods. When his family received no sign of life from him on Father’s Day, they reported Lukas missing to the police. That was on June 16th, according to consistent media reports – five days after his disappearance.
The local police, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office, then launched a search and asked the public for help. They published a photo and description of McClish on Facebook with the introductory words “Missing person in danger”.
After ten days, the search for the missing man is successful – cries for help save him
On June 20, the man was finally found. According to a Facebook post by the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office, witnesses heard cries for help in the early afternoon (3 p.m.). It turned out that they came from the missing man.
Several drones were used to determine his exact location. Rescue workers finally managed to find him. He was rescued without major injuries. A 25-year-old woman suffered a much worse fate when she disappeared into the wilderness.
Missing man “survived about ten days in the wild” by feeding on berries
Mark Bingham, head of the local fire department, described the site in the newspaper Santa Cruz Sentinel as steep terrain with boulders and shale. He was impressed by the 34-year-old’s ingenuity: “He survived about ten days in the wilderness – essentially by drinking from the stream and eating wild berries.” He was disoriented and lost. The fact that he survived ten days shows what a tough person Lukas is.
“Enough for the rest of the year”: Missing 34-year-old is not in the mood for hiking
Many people on Facebook expressed their relief when investigators announced that they had found Lukas. “Great news,” wrote one user, adding, “Surely a miracle!”
For Lukas, it will probably be his last hike in 2024. “I’ve probably hiked enough for the rest of the year,” he said ABC7NewsHis family, who were very worried, should be happy about this. The police can now close the missing person case with the note “happy ending”. In Italy, however, investigators have started the search for a tourist who disappeared without a trace in Lake Garda. (mbr)
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