El Dorado County Search & Rescue

A lady missing overnight near Meeks Bay was found okay, thanks to the combined efforts of West Slope SAR, Tahoe SAR. WOOF, and others.

Deborah, the missing person, and her family had been visiting the Lake Tahoe area from El Cajon, near San Diego. On Wednesday June 28, 2000, Deborah and her family got into a sharp disagreement and Deborah decided to take a walk. When she had not returned around 3 p.m., her family notified the Sheriff's Department.

Deputy Pat Harris was assigned to the incident. He was concerned to discover that, beside being lost and unfamiliar with the area, Deborah was at high risk medically. Not only was she an insulin-dependent diabetic, but she was taking prescriptions for emotional problems as well. Moreover, she had not eaten recently, and had left all her personal effects behind, including her medications. Wearing only shorts and a blouse, she was not dressed for overnight temps down in the 40s.

Tahoe SAR promptly started a search of the area with foot teams, vehicles and dogs. The search had special urgency because unless they found her soon, Deborah might go into diabetic shock. As afternoon turned into evening, reinforcements came from Placerville and from WOOF, the canine specialists. Foot teams, mounted riders, dog handlers and 4WD teams all converged on Meeks Bay campground where a command post was set up in the parking lot.

The effort continued into the early morning, but nothing positive turned up. At 1 a.m. searchers returned to CP for a few hours' sleep in their cars or on the sandy lakeshore. Then, at 4:30, they woke again, packed their gear by flashlight, munched a little cold food out of their packs, and gathered in the parking lot. Thanks to management staff who worked all night, new assignments were ready, and by 5:00 the first teams were heading out again.

Once the sun was up, the search ended quickly. About 5:45, Phil and Megan Dold were searching along Meeks Creek in their 4WD, not far from the command post, when they came upon Deborah standing by the dirt trail. She was lethargic and disoriented, but fortunately unhurt. Phil and Megan drove her to the Meeks Bay fire station where they (eventually) roused one of the firemen inside, and retrieved Deborah's medicine from the refrigerator (where it had been stored when the search started). Once she had taken her insulin, Deborah improved rapidly and refused a trip to the hospital.

Deborah was uncertain where she had been the night before. Since Tahoe SAR had covered the Meeks Creek area thoroughly on Wednesday, it's pretty clear she had wandered into the area afterwards. Also, as if her medical risk wasn't enough, Phil and Megan found fresh bear tracks near where they found her.

A combined effort by several agencies made this a successful mission. Special mention goes to search management for the extra all-night effort, and for plans that worked.

Another Perspective

Around four in the afternoon on Friday June 2, 2000, we got a tone out for a missing diabetic woman in the Meeks Bay area. First assignments went out to Meek's Bay personnel, the combo of Truesdell and son, then Donnie and Lynda, Robert and Gary, Doug and Deanne, and Judy and Shannon as teams 1-6.

Teams 1-4 were unfortunately deployed In the Vietnam-like meadow across the highway. Ferns and bushes 8 feet high, enough muck to suck your shoes off, and mosquitoes big enough to make a meal out of.

Lynda and Donnie were assigned the huge, huge area between the highway and the lake from the campground all the way to Ehrman mansion. Lots of ugly dense scrub before arriving at the upscale neighborhood off Drum Rd. for a switch to an urban search among the rich and famous.

Once the meadow teams had completed their first assignment, Pat H and Tim M, who had snagged CP duty, had us do it all over again, and again, until finally allowing us to come in for a meal and re-assignment.

Once we were all back in one place, it was clear that we had ended up with an impressive turnout.
Showing up as soon as they were able to were: Jeri, Damon, Eddie. Tim R, Joni, Keely. Lisa, Doug, Bob and Tita.

After a very quick mad clash for the pizza it was back out into the-meadow for some of us, and up to Lake Genevieve for Donnie, Lynda, and Damon. It never did get cooler and soon it was 1 a.m. and all of us were once again recalled to the ICP except there was no food this time and everyone was very tired and thinking about the next morning.

The West Slope garrison and their comm van had rolled in fresh and ready to take over, and the Tahoe people headed for home to get some sleep so they could come back the next morning if need be.

Thankfully that was not necessary. The West Slope troops that had arrived late the night before got an early start and got lucky. They found her almost immediately without having to become too intimately acquainted with that meadow. Although a bit disoriented, she was all right and returned to her family.