Missing Benbow girls found safe; agencies from around the region help with search
- Lake County News reports
- Posted On
NORTH COAST, Calif. – Two little girls who went missing near their Benbow home on Friday evening were found safe on Sunday morning during a search that involved agencies from around the region.
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office said search and rescue teams located Caroline Carrico, age 5, and Leia Carrico, age 8, alive and well, more than 44 hours after they were last seen in southern Humboldt County.
Authorities said searchers Delbert Chumley and Abram Hill from the Piercy Volunteer Fire Department located the two girls at close to 10:30 a.m. Sunday, approximately 1.4 miles away from their home in Benbow.
Chumley and Hill found boot prints believed to belong to the girls at around 8:30 a.m. Those tracks led the team southeast to an area near Richardson Grove State Park, authorities said.
Caroline and Leia responded when crew members called out to them. The girls were located huddled together under a bush, according to the sheriff’s office.
The sheriff’s office said the sisters were evaluated by medical personnel for dehydration and given water and warm, dry clothing. They were reunited with family shortly after being located.
The girls told first responders that they were following a deer trail when they had become lost. The two decided to stay put, drinking fresh water from huckleberry leaves, the sheriff’s office said.
More than 250 personnel from across the state responded to assist in this operation. Participating agencies included the California Office of Emergency Services, Humboldt Bay Fire, Piercy Volunteer Fire Department, Redway Fire, Fortuna Fire, Cal Fire, Southern Humboldt Technical Rescue, Humboldt County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Posse, California Highway Patrol, California National Guard, United States Coast Guard, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, California State Parks and Salmon Creek Fire.
Lake was among the counties that sent sent search and rescue personnel, along with Mendocino, Marin, Trinity, Napa, Alameda, Solano, Santa Clara, Sonoma, Contra Costa, Siskiyou County, Del Norte, Placer, El Dorado, San Mateo and Nevada.
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office thanked all of the agencies and jurisdictions involved in bringing Caroline and Leia home safe.
“We would like to especially thank the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services for their assistance in coordinating agency response from across the state, the California National Guard for their ground and air support provided, and Mendocino, Napa and Marin counties for helping organize the search and rescue operation,” the agency said in a statement.
The public tip line established by the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office has now been deactivated.
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office also thanked the public for overwhelming support during this entire effort.
“Throughout this process we have received several inquiries from those who wanted to help in the ground search effort,” the agency said, adding that it encourages those who want to help to get involved in its Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Posse.