SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY — On March 25, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office responded to a mutual aid request from the Pismo Beach Police Department to assist in locating a missing 64-year-old man who had walked away from his home on March 23. The man was considered at-risk due to a cognitive disability and a hearing impairment, and he was known to wander.

The Sheriff’s Search and Rescue (SAR) unit analyzed cell phone data to narrow down the potential location before the man’s phone lost signal. Twenty SAR members conducted a search of the identified area but were initially unable to locate him.

On March 26, SAR personnel resumed the search alongside K9 units and the Sheriff’s Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) team. Using drones, the UAS team spotted the man near a creek in a remote, heavily overgrown area. He was alive but suffering from extreme dehydration. Emergency personnel transported him to a local hospital, where he is expected to make a full recovery. Officials believe that had he not been located when he was, the outcome could have been fatal.

“I couldn’t be prouder of our Search and Rescue team,” Sheriff Parkinson said. “Their tireless dedication, skill, and refusal to give up brought this man home alive after three days in the wilderness. This is exactly what commitment to community looks like.”