Man makes wrong turn, gets lost for 5 days in California mountains

PLACER COUNTY, Calif. - A man who made a wrong turn and went missing for five days in California's Sierra Nevada Mountains was safely found. 

70-year-old Warren Elliott went missing on July 19 after going for a walk, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office said. As Elliott was walking back to the Rubicon Springs camp area, he made a wrong turn and went in the wrong direction. 

He then spent the next five days walking alone through the woods. 

From the point he was last seen, near Cadillac Hill, to the area he was found, Hell Hole Reservoir, is roughly 9 miles, but officials say he walked much further than that over the last five days.

The sheriff's department said while he was lost, he drank water from the river and found a handful of berries to eat. 

On July 24th, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 text stating someone had located Elliott. A CHP helicopter picked him up and transported him back to the command post at Homewood Mountain Resort. 

He was reunited with his family. His daughter Alexis posted an update saying: "We got him. He’s going to urgent care …. He says he just wants to go home and take a bath and go to sleep."

The department said Elliott was uninjured and was in good spirits. 

Each day, between 50 and 100 people, representing 10 agencies from across the state, searched for Elliott.