Handwritten Notes Lead to Rescue of Lost Mom and Son

A routine training session for Calaveras County's volunteer search and rescue team quickly turned frighteningly real on Saturday when the team was alerted to a mother and her 9-year-old son missing in the forest near Northern California's Spicer Reservoir. The pair, last heard from after leaving Sacramento for Camp Wolfeboro the day prior, raised alarms when they missed a check-in and couldn't be reached by phone or text, the New York Times reports. Authorities got the call just after 1:30pm and didn't waste time, dispatching a deputy while the search and rescue team—already nearby thanks to the training session—jumped into action.

Thanks to a location-sharing app, officials narrowed the search, while a timely tip from campers who'd spotted a matching vehicle gave rescuers a crucial lead. The breakthrough came when searchers discovered a handwritten note at a backcountry intersection. The mother's message was direct: "HELP. Me and my son are stranded with no service and can't call 911. We are ahead, up the road to the right. Please call 911 to get help for us. Thank you!" Following a trail of similar notes, rescuers tracked the pair to their vehicle, deep in the woods and out of cell range, by Saturday night. Standard communication was out, so the team switched to HAM radio, reaching a retired operator at home who relayed their distress to emergency dispatchers.

The mother and son, who were rescued safely, had gotten lost after GPS led them onto remote roads. They ultimately lost signal and were too disoriented to get back on track. In addition to the notes, authorities say they turned on their car's hazard lights at night and the boy used a whistle to periodically send out three short bursts—the universal sign that help is needed, Today reports. But "of importance in the successful outcome was their pre-trip notification of telling someone where they were going and when to expect them back," authorities note.