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10-year-old girl missing
By Ed Hill
After failing
to contact either of the team coordinators, the
Indio Station of the Riverside County Sheriff's
Department, contacted John Dew with news of a
search for a ten year old girl missing since 9:00
A.M. from the Cottonwood Springs Campground in
Joshua Tree National Monument.
The team was
on training at Cactus Springs in the Piņon Flats
area of the Santa Rosa Mountains. Being that this
months training was tracking, we had just
finished the night (Saturday) tracking exercise
at about midnight and were turning in for the
night when John's voice was heard over the radio
with news of a search in Joshua Tree. It took
some effort from yours truly to get everyone up
and going, but we finally got packed up, and
started the six mile hike back to the roadhead.
While we were hiking out, Walt Walker and John
went on ahead and drove the van to Cactus Springs
Campground. Once there, they met with the
grandparents, and then with the parents gathering
information on Judith Ann Trimm, the ten year old
girl, who we were to search for. After doing that
Walt and John then met with the Park Ranger to
formulate a search plan. It was not long after
that when the rest of us showed up to catch at
least a couple of hours of sleep. While we were
still trying to catch a little sleep, Walt was in
the ranger station going over the final plans
with the head ranger, and John was preparing
radios needed for the coming mornings search.
At about 6:00
A.M. we were awakened by the high pitched whine
of Don Landells jet Ranger. Well, some of us
anyway. Once up, everyone gathered around the
office for a briefing. Walt then told us of the
events that led up to Judith Ann's disappearance.
On Saturday morning Judith Ann, and her parents
drove from the campground to Cottonwood Springs
where the road ends. The family was going to take
a short hike up the canyon and enjoy the beauty
of the desert morning. Judith Ann, complaining of
a sore ankle, asked if she could stay at the car
and wait for her family's return. Upon her
family's return, at 9:00 A.M., they found that
Judith Ann was not in the car, and that all the
doors had been locked. After searching the
immediate area for some time, her parents
notified the park officials. After conducting a
small search of their own with no results, the
park rangers called in their own SAR team. At the
end of Saturday, still with no results, the park
officials called the Indio Sheriff's office and
asked for the services of the Riverside Mountain
Rescue Unit. Walt then explained that the park
rangers had searched the immediate area around
the campground and two small canyons that end up
on the road leading into the campground.
It was decided
to keep the same search teams that we had used on
training. Don then informed us that he would only
be able to stay and search from the air until
10:00. He would then have to leave and fly
equipment for CBS. Walt assigned Pete Carlson's
team to fly with Don and make a quick check of
the area. While they were flying, the rest of us
prepared our gear for desert searching. After
Pete's team was let off to establish a northern
perimeter, my team consisting of Brian Hixson and
Bob Savage, who by the way is an employee of
Judith Ann's father, drew one of the canyons that
ran south towards the highway.
In the canyon we soon found that our
biggest problem was Catclaw. This is a scraggly
bush with sharp thorns. We descended the entire
canyon since there were many places where Judith
could have dropped into it. All we saw were the
tracks of a coyote who descended that night. At
the canyon's mouth we hiked westward to the paved
road leading up to the ranger station
establishing that Judith had not traveled that
far south. We were slowly establishing a
perimeter around the Campground that we could be
reasonably sure that was still inside.
Once on the
road, a Park Ranger drove us back to the station.
Once back at the station we found a CBS film
truck on the scene filming some of the goings on.
The film crew had been working with Don and were
on their way back when they spotted the rescue
van and stopped to investigate. Well anyway, back
to the rescue, and not being hams. While new
assignments were being made, we had a skimpy
lunch. While we were searching in the morning
arrangements had been made for a Marine 212
Helicopter from El Toro Marine Base to work with
us in the afternoon. Upon its arrival my team was
assigned to search Lost Palm Canyon. After over
flying the area we were dropped off at the head
of the canyon. Along with searching the main
canyon, we were to pay close attention to the
chutes and gullies at the upper part of the
canyon. While we were still in the air I spotted
a circle and an arrow in a sandy spot in one of
the side canyons. We started down the main canyon
and searched the side canyons by sending one man
up each. We found a large arrow in the sand but
were not able to find the arrow and the circle.
We requested that the helicopter come back and
search for it but they had no luck either.
Finally we decided to continue down canyon
continuing to check out the side canyons.
While we
continued on down the canyon, the rest of the
team concentrated on the immediate area around
Cottonwood Springs. The Marine chopper had to
land at 29 Palms Marine Base because it was due
for a 50 hour check. We now had to search for the
rest of the day totally on foot. As we dropped
further down canyon we slowly went out of radio
contact.
It was now
after 4:00 and no tracks r even a trace of the
arrow in the sand. We were nearing the bottom of
the canyon, and had checked all of the side
canyons but ONE. Brian was sent up that canyon to
check for any signs of Judith. He went part way
up it and yelled. Bob and I thought that he had
found something and went up the canyon after him.
We found him, and he told us that he had been
yelling. Then we heard something but were not
sure what we had heard. We yelled again and got
another answer. Finally Brian spotted a small
figure on the very rim of the canyon. We yelled
for her to stay put, and that we would climb up.
She was standing on a large boulder on the north
rim of the canyon. Brian reached her first and
started giving her small sips of water. We
learned that she had gone looking for her
parents, had taken the wrong trail and had lost
the trail at the top of the canyon. She had hiked
east and north looking for the campground but
couldn't find it. The canyon was seven miles west
of where we had found her. We asked her if she
had seen the helicopters. She said that she had
but they had not seen her. After further
questions, we were told by Judith that she had
indeed seen the chopper, but was sitting under a
boulder. Other than a very sore ankle and being
very scared, she was in good shape considering
that she had spent two days without food or
water.
Our next problem was to let base
know that she had been found. We had been out of
radio communication since early afternoon. We
tried calling any RMRU unit but had no luck. We
then called for anybody who was listening, and a
lady with the De Anza Search and Rescue Unit in
El Centro responded. Through her we sent a
message to Cottonwood Ranger Station saying that
we had found Judith and were requesting a
helicopter evacuation.
It took some
work, but the General at 29 Palms Marine Base got
an OK to release the chopper from its 50 hour
check and return to Joshua Tree. The Marine bird
arrived just before dark and picked up Judith
from a small helispot on the ridge. With Judith
on her way out, our task was complete. We then
hiked down the canyon to the roadhead where we
were met by two park rangers and a ride back to
the ranger station. We had a large and excellent
dinner in Indio courtesy of the Riverside County
Sheriff's Department before starting the long
drive home. I would like to thank the De Anza
Search and Rescue Team for their excellent relay
work and our members for working so hard for a
common cause, the safe return of 10 year old
Judith Ann.
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