Missing woman was ‘miraculously' found in California's mountains. Then came the chorus of skeptics

Los Angeles Times

22-05-2025

In the days following missing camper Tiffany Slaton's rescue from the Sierra National Forest, what began as a heartwarming tale of a woman surviving against all odds has been tinged by a chorus of online skeptics questioning the hiker and her family.
While many have praised the tenacity of the 28-year-old Georgia woman, others have expressed doubts about the veracity of her shocking survival story and have criticized her family's fundraising motives.
Slaton had set out for a three-day camping trip in the Huntington Lake area on April 20 but wound up surviving three weeks in the wilderness — eating wild leeks and boiling snow melt for potable water — before she was found on May 14 in a cabin near Lake Edison, she said during a Friday news conference.
Slaton said she became lost after she fell off a cliff and was unable to return to the main road due to an avalanche. After the tumble she was unconscious for two hours. When she woke, she splinted one of her legs and popped her other knee back into place.
She proceeded to journey many miles while seeking civilization, overcoming 13 snowstorms and two landslides, she said. Along the way, she lost her electric bike, tent, two sleeping bags and phone.
After she was rescued, medics determined she was dehydrated, but otherwise in good condition, according to the Fresno County Sheriff's Office.
After the news conference, comments questioning her story began streaming onto the Fresno County Sheriff Office's social media, news articles about the rescue and a Reddit post dedicated to discussing 'odd details' in her story.
'I'm glad to see that other people don't believe this story. So many things don't add up, I hope this office investigates fully since resources were used,' a person wrote on the sheriff's office's Facebook. 'It's embarrassing to think people believe someone fell off a cliff, survived 2 hours unconscious (guess she was timing it), popped her knee back into place, and traveled 20 miles after splinting her leg.'
Slaton has not spoken with the media since the news conference. Her mother, Fredrina Slaton, declined an interview request from The Times on her behalf.
On Monday, her parents shut down donations to their GoFundMe page, which had raised more than $23,500, citing 'negative feedback that has arose from these events.'
'It has taken a lot to endure the attacks and attention asking for help has brought us,' Fredrina Slaton wrote on GoFundMe.
Slaton's parents reported their daughter missing on April 29 after not hearing from her for nine days. They launched the fundraiser on May 7 and continued to accept donations after she was found, citing the need to cover travel expenses to California.
'At this time, we aren't taking any interviews,' Fredrina Slaton told the Times in a Wednesday statement. 'We are focusing on Tiffany's health and well being.'
Bobby Slaton, Tiffany's father, has defended his daughter's survival tale, writing on GoFundMe, 'Believe it or not, we even thank those who have questioned the merit of the events — That is what makes miracles so unbelievable.'
Experienced Sierra mountain guide Howie Schwartz said he doesn't doubt Slaton was lost in the wilderness, but said there is lot that doesn't make sense about her story.
'It doesn't seem like a story you can really wrap your head around,' Schwartz told The Times. 'Falling off a cliff, having to splint her leg. You don't splint your leg unless your leg is broken and if your leg is broken, you're not walking miles on it.'
Schwartz was guiding a five-day ski trip in the Mono Recesses in the Sierra while Slaton was missing and saw helicopters searching for her. He confirmed that there were still late-season snowstorms passing through the region, but noted that Huntington and Edison lakes' elevation is low enough that precipitation likely came down as rain.
Another detail many internet sleuths have fixated on is Slaton's experience with her phone. She said she was unable to contact 911, but got GPS information for a Starbucks location.
'I eventually got mad at my GPS and decided to ask, 'Well, where is the nearest Starbucks?' she said at the news conference. 'It was like, 'Oh, well, we can answer that question. It's 18 miles from here.''
Tony Botti, a spokesperson for the Fresno County Sheriff's Office, said that the department does not yet have a clear understanding of all aspects of Slaton's survival story — such as the exact route she traveled while missing, or how her phone could not contact 911 but directed her to a Starbucks.
'We can only work with the information she told us because there are no other independent witnesses,' Botti said in a statement to The Times. 'If there are inaccuracies or embellishments, we really can't do anything about it.'
The department is still investigating Slaton's journey and has found tracks lining up with her path, but has not recovered any of her missing belongings, Botti said.
Some people have accused Slaton of seeking attention with her story, pointing to her comment during the news conference that she was interested in going on the survival show 'Alone' in which participants are left in the wilderness with only a backpack.
'Option 1: she's mentally ill and needs help. Option 2: She greatly embellished the story to cover her horrendous disregard for common sense Option 3: A contrived story looking for a book deal and [Go]FundMe revenue,' one person wrote on Reddit. 'Anyone who knows the area would agree.'
Some critics have lambasted her for failing to bring a satellite contact device — which allows people to send messages in areas without cell service — arguing she wasted law enforcement resources in the search for her.
Botti defended Slaton, saying that the woman didn't report herself missing and 'there is no evidence to show she knew we were searching for her.'
Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni called Slaton's journey 'an incredible story of perseverance, determination and survival' saying it is 'something that you may see on TV that they would make movies about.'
The Sheriff's Office began searching for Slaton after her parents reported her missing and, thanks to tips from the public, learned she had last been seen at Huntington Lake on April 20.
The Sheriff's Search and Rescue team scoured nearly 600 square miles of the High Sierra looking for Slaton from May 6 to 10. Vehicles were unable to make it through Kaiser Pass because of heavy snow blocking the road, but helicopters were used to scout above Mono Hot Springs and around Lake Edison, where Slaton was ultimately found.
The Sheriff's Office announced that the missing hiker was 'miraculously found alive' on May 14 at Vermilion Valley Resort, which is more than 20 miles from where she was last seen. Resort owner Christopher Gutierrez found Slaton inside a cabin when he went to check-in on the condition of his resort in advance of reopening for the summer season.
Gutierrez commended Slaton's wilderness skills during a news conference last week, saying he was awed by how she endured a blizzard and foraged for survival.
'She has stories, she could write a book,' he said. 'It's just unbelievable.'