Mariposa County Sheriff Jeremy Briese expressed frustration about the incident and said the man purposely put himself and others in danger.
A vehicle enters the Sierra National Forest northeast of Fresno in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains under a smoke-filled sky during the Creek fire in Auberry, Fresno County on Sept. 11, 2020.
A Michigan man who wanted to research the deaths of a California family found dead on a trail in the Sierra National Forest had to be rescued after getting lost, the sheriff's office said.
The unidentified hiker was reported missing last Wednesday near Savage Lundy Trail, the same area where John Gerrish, Ellen Chung, their 1-year-old daughter, Miju, and their dog were found dead in August.
The man, believed to be in his mid-60s, began his hike in an area shut off from the public, the Mariposa County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post. The area had a closed gate and a sign was displayed that said "CLOSED."
The man got lost after he couldn't find the trail that leads to Savage Lundy, the sheriff's office said.
Another hiker reported the man missing after noticing the man's car parked near the entrance of a trail. The hiker told authorities that he saw the man on June 28 and that the man said he wanted to do some personal research on the family's deaths because he found it "odd," according to the sheriff's office.
"The next morning the reporting party noticed his rented vehicle was still parked at the trail head and contacted our office. A Search and Rescue mission was activated and with the help of the Eagle One Helicopter from the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office the man was located on the Hites Cove Rd portion of the trail," the Facebook post stated.
After he was rescued, the man complained about having to spend the night in the wilderness "because he was unable to find the trail that leads to the Savage Lundy portion," the sheriff's office said.
The man said he tried to call 911 multiple times but because of poor reception, the calls did not go through. The man also complained about running out of water he bought with him and having to drink from a river.