A California woman missing for nearly two weeks was found safe by search teams in Nevada County.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Esmeralda Marie Pineda, 24, was reported missing on August 26 after vanishing from a mining camp in Nevada City, about 60 miles north of Sacramento. Authorities believed she was last seen near the middle fork of the Yuba River and Sweetland Creek, according to Nevada County Sheriff’s Office.
Searchers spent days combing the river area, with specialized teams to rappel in and out of the canyon. On Friday, Sgt. Dustin Moe and his partner were patrolling the area in an off-road vehicle when they spotted a “severely dehydrated and emaciated” Pineda, who was in need of “immediate medical attention.”
Pineda was airlifted from the canyon within an hour of being located and taken to a hospital. Her condition and the severity of her injuries remain unclear, according to the sheriff’s office.
“The Sheriff’s Office and our search and rescue volunteers covered extensive ground throughout our search, and we are thankful today to find her alive,” NCSO Sgt. Dustin Moe said, according to NBC News.
Moe added that Pineda vanished while out camping, and then telling friends she was ready to leave. The next morning, on August 26, her friends woke up to find her gone.
“So, her friends went searching for her during that day, and couldn’t find any signs whether she had made it out,” Moe said, according to KYMA.
Moe says Pineda somehow climbed to the top of a canyon, and that’s where searchers ultimately found her.
“She probably had to scale around an 800 foot vertical foot climb to get up out of the canyon. And it’s not just a gradual, nice walk up, it’s your on your hands and feet climbing up the canyon walls,” Moe said.
Moe added that he’s unsure how Pineda managed to survive.
“Who knows? I mean, maybe she had good survival instincts. She had luck behind her and she managed to pull through those 12 days.”
[Feature Photo via Nevada County Sheriff’s Office]
