Missing Bay Area Nurse Found Safe In Sequoia National Park
SEQUOIA AND KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARKS (CBS SF) -- A 56-year-old Mississippi woman, who was working in the Bay Area as a visiting nurse, has been found safe Monday after disappearing while hiking in Kings Canyon National Park.
Her disappearance sparked a major search operation.
Park officials said Mary Joanna Gomez was found after a California Air National Guard aircraft saw the letters SOS spelled out with rocks in a park area.
The National Park Service says she was cold, thirsty and hungry but otherwise in good health. She was found off-trail about 3.5 miles from where her car was discovered over the weekend.
Earlier Monday, the search intensified since she was reported by her family to San Francisco police as a missing person on Oct. 25. But searchers admit they had few clues to guide them.
Gomez arrived in Kings Canyon National Park on Wednesday, her day off. Her last communication with her family was on October 24th when she text messaged her daughter with photos taken in different areas of Kings Canyon.
She was expected back to work on October 25th, missed her shift and her family reported her missing.
National Park officials placed her in the Giant Forest of Sequoia National Park on Saturday morning. That night, shortly before midnight, her vehicle was located along the Generals Highway near a trailhead by a park ranger. It had not been at that trailhead earlier in the day.
Multiple teams searched the area surrounding her vehicle with search dogs, air craft and search teams on foot. Her husband and daughter have arrived in Kings Canyon and are with NPS staff.
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