Elk Grove Hiker Missing in Alpine County Mountains
ELK GROVE (CBS13) — The search is on for a missing hiker in the Sierra Nevada who was expected home in Elk Grove on Saturday night, but never returned.
Frigid overnight temperatures and treacherous terrain are two big concerns for highly trained rescue teams looking for Elk Grove's Bradford Dozier in Alpine County. Their command center is set up at Lower Blue Lake Campground near Kirkwood.
The Alpine County Sheriff's Department is joined by California OES, the California National Guard, and a number of other local sheriff departments from Northern California. Highly trained search teams are using all types of resources on the ground and in the air.
"Three helicopters today, dog teams, mounted horses," Alpine Sheriff's deputy Taylor Green said.
Brooke Wells is a family member who's also been searching for Dozier. He last saw him Friday night.
"We had a family dinner Friday night, and Brad got up Saturday to drop his daughter off at the University of California, and probably around 10 a.m. he parks his car and went into the backcountry," Wells said.
Dozier's car was located Sunday. But he has not been seen or heard from.
Dozier is a skilled outdoorsman who grew up in a family of mountain climbers. His brother Jeff Dozier is a pioneer of rock climbing in the Yosemite Valley—"Dozier's Dome" is named after him.
"He's studied survival, he can build fires, he can do first aid," Wells said. "He can. If given the opportunity, he can do an awful lot."
Dozier did not carry a satellite phone. Wells says he likely had enough food and water for a single day.
"We keep hope because there is no knowledge of what happened, so there could be a simple explanation, there could be a complicated explanation," Wells said.
Bradford Dozier is an attorney based in Stockton. He has a wife and three children, two in college and one in high school.
