Twelve days after going missing, a lady was discovered in the Northern California wilderness on Friday, according to authorities.
The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office in Nevada City, California, reported on Facebook that they had located 24-year-old Esmeralda Marie Pineda on Friday afternoon at the top of a canyon close to the Yuba River and Sweetland Creek.
Pineda is from Sacramento, which is located little over 60 miles north of Nevada City.
Pineda, according to the sheriff’s office, was “severely dehydrated and emaciated” when she was discovered and “required immediate medical attention.”
According to Yuma, Arizona’s NBC News station KYMA, Pineda was afflicted with sun exposure.
The California Highway Patrol arrived with a helicopter after deputies on the site sought air medical assistance, according to the sheriff’s office. In addition, the North San Juan Fire Department arrived to provide medical assistance.
Pineda was flown out of the canyon and sent to a hospital for treatment less than an hour after she was discovered. Pineda’s condition and the extent of her injuries are unknown, 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.
Pineda was reported missing from a mining camp close to the middle fork of the Yuba River and Sweetland Creek, so authorities launched a search for her on August 26, according to the NCSO.
Pineda had been camping in the canyon near the Middle Yuba River with three friends on August 25 when Moe informed KYMA she wanted to return to Sacramento.
Pineda was gone when the pals awoke the following morning, according to KYMA.
“So, her friends went searching for her during that day, and couldn’t find any signs whether she had made it out,” Moe told the television station.
The sheriff’s office claimed the terrain “was treacherous in nature and required skilled Nevada County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue volunteers to repel into and out of the canyon to look for her.”
The Middle Fork location where Pineda was located lacks trail infrastructure, according to Moe, who told KYMA, “so people just generally don’t go down there.”
When rescuers discovered Pineda at the top of the canyon, it was clear that she had completed a hard climb.
According to KYMA, Moe said, “And it’s not just a gradual, nice walk up, you’re climbing up the canyon walls with your hands and feet.”
According to the publication, Pineda was found by Moe and his companion.
“She was able to pick her head up and kind of wave at us,” Moe added.
Moe said to the station he had no idea how Pineda managed to survive for over two weeks by herself in the woods.
“Who can say? He remarked, “I mean, maybe she had good survival instincts.” “She had luck behind her and she managed to pull through those 12 days.”
