Mushroom hunter vanishes in forest overnight after wandering from friends, CA cops say
A mushroom hunter spent the night in a densely wooded forest after wandering away from friends, California deputies say.
Mendocino County deputies got a call about the missing mushroom hunter at about 8:30 p.m., Monday, Jan. 27, the sheriff’s office said in a Jan. 28 news release.
Deputies said the 59-year-old woman was mushroom hunting with friends in Jackson Demonstration State Forest when she wandered away from her group at about 5 p.m.
Her friends grew concerned when she never emerged “from the now dark and densely wooded area,” deputies said.
Deputies said they quickly searched the area where the woman was last seen but could not find her.
Then, later that night, deputies said they again searched for her but to no avail.
With help from the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue, deputies said they planned to search for her at sunrise the following day.
Deputies said they started searching the area again Jan. 28 at about 7 a.m.
But just as search and rescue volunteers arrived, the missing mushroom hunter “walked out of the woods,” deputies said.
The woman had a minor injury and was treated by paramedics on scene, then released, deputies said.
Jackson Demonstration State Forest is in Fort Bragg, about 170 miles northwest of Sacramento.
This story was originally published January 29, 2025 at 12:03 PM with the headline "Mushroom hunter vanishes in forest overnight after wandering from friends, CA cops say."
