Man is missing for 9 days, California cops say. Then bystanders hear yells for help

A 34-year-old man was found after he had been missing for nine days, California officials said.

Lukas McClish had last been seen June 11 while traveling on foot in Boulder Creek, according to an updated June 19 Facebook post by Santa Cruz County deputies.

McClish’s family reported him missing June 16, according to a Cal Fire San Mateo - Santa Cruz Unit post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

On June 20, deputies received reports of someone “yelling for help,” Ashley Keehn, the public information officer with the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office, told McClatchy News in a statement.

After responding to the area, deputies used a drone to pinpoint McClish’s exact location, Keehn said.

How McClish ended up in the “heavily wooded” area was not specified by deputies.

Cal Fire personnel and Boulder Creek Fire Department crew members helped bring McClish to safety, Keehn said.

“We are grateful he’s home,” firefighters said.

Boulder Creek is about a 70-mile drive southeast of San Francisco.

This story was originally published June 21, 2024 at 6:12 PM with the headline "Man is missing for 9 days, California cops say. Then bystanders hear yells for help."