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Search and Rescue to the Rescue

Yavapai County Sheriff's Office Area Commands MapSedona AZ (December 14, 2015) On December 10, 2015, at about 9:30 p.m., the Sheriff’s Office was called to help find a  Manuel Ortega, 19, after he got lost in the dark between the communities of Cottonwood and Sedona, Arizona. Ortega was scheduled to be picked up at his home on Bill Gray Road by a family member, inside the Coconino National Forest, to go to work. When the family members called to say they would be late, Ortega stated he would begin walking toward State Route 89A to meet the ride.

Ortega left his house on foot at 3:00 p.m. At approximately 6:30 in the evening, he called a family member and said he was lost and, due to the darkness, could no longer see where he was going. Before he could identify a location, the phone stopped working..

As a result, the Yavapai County Search and Rescue Team’s (YCSRT) Search Dog Unit, 4×4 Unit, Quad Unit, along with Verde Search and Rescue (SAR) personnel deployed. A DPS Ranger helicopter also arrived for an air search. Both Verde SAR and DPS Ranger checked an area indicated by Ortega’s cell phone provider as his last location, but he was not found.

The 4×4 units were assigned to check nearby roadways while the Search Dog Units began checking areas in the vicinity of the man’s home. One of the dog teams found a track and deployed a search dog, but it lost the track in rough terrain.

yavapai county sheriff's office logoFortunately, as the sun started to rise, one of the dog handlers saw Ortega walking in their direction. He told rescuers that after leaving home, he attempted a ‘short cut’ route to the highway and became lost in the dark. He dug a hole near a tree to try and stay warm waiting for daybreak. Ortega had also unsuccessfully tried to start a signal fire overnight. Although wearing only light clothing, he survived the night without any medical issues.

The Sheriff’s Office is extremely grateful for all the search and rescue volunteers who worked through the night to locate the missing man. Their dedication to unselfishly helping others is commended.

Please be aware that the time it took to locate Mr. Ortega would have been far less, if his cell phone battery had been fully charged for calling and obtaining GPS coordinates for tracking.

For more information, visit www.ycsoaz.gov.

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  1. Last night, two of Catholic Charities staff found a deceased man during their outreach for the homeless. Catholic Charities outreach involves staff going out into the cold on foot to find the homeless at popular locations for them. After finding the homeless, our staff asks to relocate them into safe, temporary shelter to survive the dangerous freezing temperatures.

    Our staff reported the incident to the Flagstaff police and handed the situation over. Our staff will continue their searches for the homeless in the Flagstaff area and ask for the support of the community in addressing this crucial need for the survival of people experiencing homelessness in Flagstaff.

    For more information or to speak to Catholic Charities staff, please contact Mary Hickey Reynoso at 602-885-7047.

    Founded in 1933, Catholic Charities provides care for the vulnerable of all faiths in Phoenix and northern Arizona through programs in foster care, early start education, housing, veteran services, refugee relocation and poverty reduction. Learn more by visiting http://www.catholiccharitiesaz.org. Social connections include http://www.facebook.com/CatholicCharitiesAZ and twitter.com/CCArizona.

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