Update: Missing Hikers In Emigrant Wilderness Found
Update at 1 p.m.: The Tuolumne County Search and Rescue Team had been searching for the three hikers since Monday after a relative reported them missing.
Tuolumne County Sheriff’s officials report the overdue hikers were located on Tuesday around 11:15 near Sheeps camp. 62-year-old Steven Morales of San Jose, 46-year-old Christine Ricks of Menlo Park and 32-year-old Venu Aruva of Sunnyvale reportedly left Kennedy Meadows this past Friday for a planned three day hike with stops at Emigrant Lake and Relief Reservoir.
All were found safe and unharmed. The trio also refused any help getting out of the area and instead requested to hike back on their own. (For more details on the search please see below.)
Original post at 8:40 p.m.: Tuolumne County, CA —  Three hikers from the Bay Area, who were scheduled to return home on Sunday after hiking in the Emigrant Wilderness, are missing.
62-year-old Steven Morales of San Jose, 46-year-old Christine Ricks of Menlo Park and 32-year-old Venu Aruva of Sunnyvale reportedly left Kennedy Meadows this past Friday for a planned three day hike with stops at Emigrant Lake and Relief Reservoir. Morales is an avid hiker, with no significant health problems, and often hikes with Ricks and Aruva.
The hike occurred during the significant weather storm over the weekend that brought heavy rain, snow and lightning.
A son of Morales notified the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office when his father failed to return home. A deputy located a Honda CRV belonging to Morales at the Kennedy Meadow Resort at 10:30pm yesterday, and the caretaker of the resort said the vehicle had been parked since Thursday. The caretaker also noted the weather over the weekend caused the Stanislaus River to become extremely muddy with a rise of approximately three ft. The increase in water flow was higher than the resort had ever noticed for this time of year.
The Tuolumne County Search and Rescue Team is conducting a full scale search for the three this morning. Anyone with information on their whereabouts should contact the Sheriff’s Office at 209-533-5815. Descriptions are listed below:
Steven Morales-from San Jose
62 Years Old
5’9″
175 Pounds
Gray Hair
Brown Eyes
Christine Ricks-from Menlo Park
46 Years Old
5’2″
117 Pounds
Brown Hair
Brown Eyes
Venu Aruva-from Sunnyvale
32 Years Old
6’1″
160 Pounds
Black Hair
Dark Eyes
