Missing Woman, 24, Found ‘Severely Dehydrated and Emaciated’ After Surviving Nearly 2 Weeks in Wilderness

After finding Esmeralda Marie Pineda alive, authorities said that the "extent of her condition and injuries is unknown"

A missing California woman has been found alive after she spent 12 days alone in the California wilderness.

On Friday, Sept. 6, officials from the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office announced in a news release that 12 days after she was first reported missing by friends, 24-year-old Esmeralda Marie Pineda had been located.

Pineda was camping with friends near the Yuba River and Sweetland Creek Nevada City, about 60 miles outside of Sacramento, according to local station KYMA-DT.

Speaking with the outlet, NCSO Sgt. Dustin Moe said that on Aug. 25, she told friends she wanted to return home to Sacramento. The next day, she was gone

"Her friends went searching for her during that day, and couldn't find any signs whether she had made it out," added Moe, who says they reported her missing that same day.

By Aug. 28, the sheriff's office as well as the Sheriff's Search & Rescue team had shared missing person posters to social media, asking for anyone with information about her whereabouts to contact them. At the time, the sheriff's office stated that she had last been seen at a mining claim camp on Aug. 26 in the middle fork of the Yuba River and Sweetland Creek.

According to the office's Sept. 6 update, search and rescue crews began looking for Pineda that day, with volunteers repelling in and out of the canyon to look for her as the terrain was "treacherous in nature."

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Around 12:40 p.m. on Sept. 6, Moe and a partner were using an off-roading vehicle razor, or a side-by-side, to search in a nearby mountainous area when they finally spotted Pineda.

Authorities said that while the "extent of her condition and injuries is unknown," she was found to be "severely dehydrated and emaciated."

California Highway Patrol and the North San Juan Fire Department eventually arrived at the scene via helicopter, by 1:20 p.m., Pineda had been airlifted off the canyon, the sheriff's office said.

Moe told KYMA that the middle fork area where Pineda had been located was treacherous, and most people would not go into that area because it has no accessible trails.

"She probably had to scale around an 800 foot vertical foot climb to get up out of the canyon. And it's not just a gradual, nice walk up, it's your on your hands and feet climbing up the canyon walls," the sergeant told the outlet.

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In their final news release, authorities shared a special thank you to everybody who helped make it so there was a happy ending to the story.

Said Moe, "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."

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