Latest news with #ChristopherGutierrez
Times
17-05-2025
- Times
Unlocked holiday homes saved missing California hiker's life
As he was leaving his remote mountain resort in California's High Sierra this winter, Christopher Gutierrez decided to leave the doors unlocked. It was a precaution he took in case a hiker became stranded in a blizzard and needed refuge. The decision saved Tiffany Slaton's life. More than three weeks after she went missing while camping in the Sierra National Forest, the 28-year-old, dishevelled and dehydrated but otherwise healthy, turned up at the resort. 'She pops out, didn't say a word, just ran up,' Gutierrez, the owner of the Vermilion Valley Resort, said during a press conference on Wednesday. 'She just wanted a hug.' As he returned to begin opening the resort for spring, Gutierrez spotted a door ajar and a pair of shoes.
CNN
16-05-2025
- CNN
Rescue of hiker missing for weeks in California wilderness a ‘surreal moment'
When the Vermilion Valley Resort in California's eastern Sierra shut down for the winter, the staff left cabin doors unlocked just in case a wayward hiker needed shelter during the frequent mountain snowstorms. That decision may have saved the life of Tiffany Slaton, the 27-year-old Georgia woman who was missing for nearly three weeks in the remote wilderness. Owner Christopher Gutierrez spotted a cabin door ajar and a pair of shoes nearby when he arrived Wednesday morning to begin reopening the resort for spring. Suddenly, a young woman appeared in the doorway. 'She pops out, didn't say a word, just ran up and all she wanted was a hug,' Gutierrez said during a Wednesday evening news conference. 'It was a pretty surreal moment, and that's when I realized who this was.' It was Slaton, whose parents had reported her missing on April 29 after not hearing from her for more than a week. The Fresno County Sheriff's office launched a search, and deputies and volunteers scoured more than 600 square miles of the Sierra National Forest, with no luck. Searchers were hampered by heavy snow blocking many roads. On Monday, the sheriff's office had announced it was scaling back the search effort. Two days later, she emerged from the cabin. Gutierrez gave Slaton a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and called authorities, who brought her to a hospital for evaluation. She was hungry and dehydrated, but otherwise in good condition, sheriff's officials said. Sheriff's spokesperson Tony Botti said it was the longest period of time he's seen someone be missing in the wilderness and survive. 'Three weeks, it's unheard of,' he said. 'It speaks to the tenacity that Tiffany has, that she's a fighter.' Thanks to tips from the public, investigators determined that Slaton had been spotted around April 20 near Huntington Lake, more than 20 miles to the southwest through rough terrain. But authorities didn't provide details about when or where Slaton's trek began, what her plans were, and what route she took to end up at Vermilion Valley Resort, which sits the Sierra Nevada about halfway between Yosemite and Sequoia/Kings Canyon national parks. Botti said sheriff's officials planned to interview Slaton to learn the details of her experience, and how she survived in icy conditions at elevations topping 6,500 feet. Across the country in Jeffersonville, Georgia, her parents were out shopping when they got word that their daughter had been found. 'I just grabbed somebody and I said, 'Can I hug you?' And I did,' said her mother, Fredrina Slaton. 'I was crying and hugging.' Tiffany's father, Bobby Slaton, said 'a ton of weight has been lifted.' He thanked the search-and-rescue team and all the community members who helped in the effort to find her. Sheriff's officials said snowplows cleared a key mountain pass earlier Wednesday, which allowed Gutierrez to access the resort on Lake Edison for the first time this year. Gutierrez said he had to spend about an hour and a half breaking up ice before he could get into the property. Slaton's parents said Tiffany was raised with a love of the outdoors, and they always stressed the importance of being able to fend for yourself in a tough situation. 'So, it's nice to know, as parents, that all the things that we've taught her, she actually did,' her mother said. 'We believe that life is an adventure.'
Fox News
16-05-2025
- Fox News
Missing Georgia camper 'miraculously found alive' after disappearing for weeks in California wilderness
A missing Georgia camper was "miraculously found alive" in California's Sierra Nevada after disappearing weeks ago, police say. Tiffany Slaton, a 27-year-old from Jefferson, was discovered Wednesday after the owner of the Vermilion Valley Resort near Lake Edison in Fresno County, California, was conducting a property check and "found one of his cabins was occupied by a woman," according to the Fresno County Sheriff's Office. "She pops out, didn't say a word, just ran up and all she wanted was a hug," Christopher Gutierrez said. "It was a pretty surreal moment and that's when I realized who this was." Investigators say Slaton was reported missing by her family on April 29 after she was not heard from for nine days. She was found "dehydrated, but was otherwise in good condition." "He was aware of an ongoing search for a missing woman, and she matched the description. Deputies traveled up to Kaiser Pass Road and met with the owner who had driven Tiffany out to the staging point. Deputies confirmed it to be Tiffany and medics arrived with an ambulance to examine her," the Sheriff's Office added. "It is important to note that the road from Kaiser Pass back to Lake Edison was impassable due to the snowpack." Police say snowplows cleared the road to the Vermilion Valley Resort on Wednesday, and Gutierrez was preparing to open up the property for the public for the summer. "The owner said he had left a cabin unlocked as a precaution for this exact situation where someone who is lost could seek shelter and increase their chances of surviving the outdoor elements and harsh weather," the Fresno County Sheriff's Office said. Slaton's father, Bobby, said on Wednesday that "This has to be the third or fourth best day of our lives after our children's births so we are extremely excited and happy to hear the news that my daughter is now safe." "A ton of weight has been lifted, and we can't thank the sheriff's department of Fresno enough and the search and rescue team enough for – and most certainly, the community. The community has been outstanding in the search for Tiffany." Her mother, Fredrina, said they were out shopping for clothes in preparation for a trip to the area when they first learned she had been found safe. "I just grabbed somebody and said, 'can I hug you'? And I did, I was crying and hugging," according to Fredrina Slaton. "She called me on her way down from the mountain. As soon as they were able to get a cell signal, she actually reached out to me and that was truly when the tears started flowing," added her father. "She said 'Dad, I'm alive, and I'm sorry, but I'm alive, and I wanted to call you and let you know that I'm alive,' and I asked because I didn't want to get my hopes up. I asked 'who was this'? And she says 'This is Tiffany.' And that was it, I just thank God for that moment because prayers were answered," Bobby Slaton also said. Investigators previously carried out a "full-scale" search in the mountains for Slaton between May 6 and May 10, spanning nearly 600 square miles, "but the crew never found any trace of Tiffany or her belongings," it added. "Detectives are now arranging to meet with Tiffany to learn more about her timeline of events and overall experience," it also said.
New York Times
15-05-2025
- New York Times
She Vanished for 3 Weeks in the Sierra. Then the Phone Rang: ‘Dad, I'm Alive.'
The resort, nestled in the wilds of the Sierra in California, caters to guests looking for an 'off-grid getaway.' For several months of the year, it is virtually inaccessible, the roads cut off by snow and ice, just like they were during a blizzard this week. It's not unusual for bears to invite themselves into the tents at the Vermilion Valley Resort, but one of the cabins was unexpectedly occupied on Wednesday when the resort's owner, Christopher Gutierrez, went to check on the property. 'We see the door open,' Mr. Gutierrez recalled. 'And I see some shoes down there. I'm like OK, well, it's just a hiker who just decided to' take shelter from the blizzard the night before. The person who emerged was Tiffany Slaton, a camper from Georgia who had been missing for more than three weeks and had been the focus of an intense search of roughly 600 square miles of the Sierra. 'She pops out,' he said at a news conference on Wednesday announcing that Ms. Slaton had been found. 'Didn't say a word. Just ran up, and all she wanted was a hug.' Ms. Slaton, who turned 28 on Thursday, was dehydrated but in otherwise good condition, according to the Fresno County Sheriff's Department, which said that she had been taken to a hospital for treatment and observation. Efforts to reach Ms. Slaton, who told rescuers that she had survived by eating leeks, were not immediately successful. It had been 24 days since Ms. Slaton had gone camping alone more than 40 miles southwest of the resort, setting out on an electric bike and towing a cargo trailer in the Sierra National Forest, the authorities said. Her family reported her missing several days later, prompting a lengthy search effort. Her parents, Bobby and Fredrina Slaton, who live in Jeffersonville, Ga., said during the news conference that they had feared that they would never be reunited with their daughter. But then, as they were shopping for warmer clothes to travel to California while the search was continuing, Mr. Slaton's phone rang. 'She said, 'Dad, I'm alive, and I'm sorry,' ' Mr. Slaton said. 'I asked who was this. And she says, 'This is Tiffany,' and that was it. I just thank God for that moment. Those prayers were answered.' Mr. Slaton added that he began to cry and that a weight had been lifted. 'This has to be the third or fourth best day of our lives after our children's birth,' he said. Ms. Slaton said she was so elated that she approached a stranger in the store. 'I just grabbed somebody and said, 'Can I hug you?' ' she said. 'I needed to hug somebody.' The Slatons, who have a small farm, said that their daughter had spent a lot of time outdoors growing up and had experience foraging. She has a degree in nutrition sciences and worked as a dialysis technician, according to her LinkedIn profile. Tony Botti, a spokesman for the Fresno County Sheriff's Department, said during the news conference that it was rare for someone to survive so long alone in the Sierra. In the past decade, he said, one woman who was missing for nine days with a broken leg used a water bottle to fetch water from a creek before being found. Another woman, he added, hunkered down in a restroom until she was rescued. 'You just don't see these survivalist stories,' Mr. Botti said. 'She's a fighter. She's not going to give up. She's going to live off the land.' Mr. Gutierrez, who found Tiffany Slaton at the cabin, described her demeanor as a 'deer in headlights.' 'One of the first questions was, 'What day is it?' ' he said. Ms. Slaton was not aware of the extensive search that had been going on and was worried about upsetting her father. 'She says she's going to be in trouble,' Mr. Gutierrez said. The cabin where Ms. Slaton waited out the blizzard is described on the resort's website as a 'cozy getaway' on the edge of a lake. It rents for about $190 a night in season. Although the resort was still closed, Mr. Gutierrez said, the cabin was kept unlocked — just for this sort of situation. 'She pushed through that blizzard, and the first thing she saw was a cabin,' he said, adding that Ms. Slaton had abandoned most of her belongings, save for a sleeping bag. And she had hunger pangs. Not for leeks. 'All she wanted,' he said, 'was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.'
The Independent
15-05-2025
- The Independent
Starving camper missing for three weeks found holed up in remote High Sierra cabin: ‘It's unheard of'
A missing 27-year-old hiker from Georgia was found alive in a remote cabin after surviving wintery weather in California's Sierra Nevada mountains for nearly three weeks. Tiffany Slanton went missing in Fresno County's wilderness in late April while she was camping in the region. Her parents, Fredrina and Bobby Slanton, reported her missing on April 29 after she hadn't checked in for more than a week. That kicked off a search for the missing woman in the High Sierras that lasted for nearly three weeks. The Fresno County Sheriff's Office's Search and Rescue team covered nearly 600 square miles of the rugged and mountainous terrain searching for Slanton between May 6 and May 10. The terrain and snow accumulation made searching in cars impossible, but helicopters were brought in to scout the area. On Monday, the Fresno County Sheriff's Office announced that it was scaling back its search for the camper, according to the Los Angeles Times. Then, on Wednesday, Christopher Gutierrez, the owner of Vermilion Valley Resort near the Sierra National Forest and just south of Mammoth Mountain, went to check on his cabins. Snowplows that cleared the Kaiser Pass of snow made it possible for him to access his resort on Lake Edison. It was his first trip to the resort this year. When he arrived, he made a shocking discovery — Slanton had been riding out the winter weather at his empty resort. 'She pops out, didn't say a word, just ran up and all she wanted was a hug,' Gutierrez said on Wednesday evening during a press conference. 'It was a pretty surreal moment and that's when I realized who this was.' Slanton's mother had the same impulse as her daughter the moment she learned she was still alive. 'I just grabbed somebody, I said, 'Can I hug you?' And I did,' Fredrina Slaton said, noting that she was out at a clothing store when she learned the news. 'I was crying and hugging." Slanton's father, Bobby, said the day they received the news was one of the best of their lives. 'We are extremely excited and happy to hear the news that my daughter is now safe,' he said. 'A ton of weight has been lifted and we can't thank the Sheriff's Department of Fresno enough, the Search and Rescue team enough, and the community has been outstanding in the search for Tiffany.' One of the reasons Slanton was able to survive was thanks to the generous forethought of Gutierrez. He said that he purposefully left one of his cabins unlocked during the winter in the event that someone lost could increase their survival chances if they found their way to the resort. After he found Slanton, he fed her peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to tide her over until an ambulance arrived to transport her for treatment. First responders determined that she was dehydrated but was otherwise in good health, but they took her for examination at a nearby hospital to ensure she was cared for. Tony Botti, a spokesperson for the sheriff's office, commended Slanton for surviving and added that it was the longest he'd ever seen someone survive after going missing in the wilderness. 'Two days, nine days, that's amazing, but three weeks, it's unheard of,' he said. 'It speaks to the tenacity that Tiffany has, that she's a fighter. She's not going to give up.'
