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Handwritten notes help rescue missing mother and son in California forest

Handwritten notes help rescue missing mother and son in California forest

Independent18-07-2025
A mother, Tami Laird, 49, and her nine-year-old son, Stirling, were rescued after being stranded for over 24 hours in a remote Californian forest.
They became lost after following a GPS route that led them onto logging trails, where their Nissan Sentra eventually got stuck and Laird lost mobile phone signal.
To aid their rescue, Laird wrote handwritten notes detailing their predicament and location, which she left on the road, along with a trail of rocks and cloth strips.
Her son periodically blew a whistle as an international distress signal, while Laird switched on the car's hazard lights overnight.
A volunteer search and rescue team, already training nearby, discovered the notes, significantly accelerating the timeline for finding the pair and reuniting them with their family.
Mother and son dramatically rescued in California after authorities discover SOS notes
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