Missing 79-year-old woman

August 27, 2001
KQ Ranch, south of Julian
2001-013

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RMRU was contacted 2:30 a.m. on Monday morning to assist with a search for a missing 79-year-old woman south of Julian in San Diego County. Search and rescue teams from several counties and from the Border Patrol arrived to assist the San Deigo county teams who had been searching since Sunday.

Edith Verline Baker left her camp off KQ Ranch Road and state Route 79 before her daughter and grandchildren awoke. When she hadn't returned by 10 a.m., her daughter called authorities.

Baker had taken a walk each morning of the family's weeklong camping trip. It wasn't known whether she had eaten breakfast before leaving for her hike Sunday, and she was believed to be without water or protective clothing. Temperatures reached the high 90s yesterday, with lows at night dipping to about 60.

Search teams were frustrated and dissapointed that no clues, other than a single footprint, were found in five days of searching. Officials called off the search for Baker around 4 p.m. Thursday. Authorities will now treat this as a missing persons case.

RMRU members present: Mike Sullivan, Jim Fairchild, Glenn Henderson, Travis Henderson, Ray Hussey, Larry Ross and Darrell Bell.