Husband lost in desert nearly 2 days amid storm after Jeep breaks down, AZ cops say
A man who spent two nights lost in the Arizona desert after leaving his wife to go get help has been found, deputies said.
The couple had been “exploring the terrain” in their Jeep on Thursday, April 17, in Bumble Bee, the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.
Bumble Bee is a small ghost town off Interstate 17, about a 65-mile drive north from Phoenix.
When their vehicle broke down that night, the husband tried to walk to town to get help, deputies said.
But he never returned, and the wife spent the night in the Jeep alone, deputies said.
In the morning, she contacted her family, and they tried to find him but had no luck because his phone was dead, deputies said.
They reported him missing to authorities by 4 p.m. that day.
Search teams scoured the area trying to find him amid a storm, deputies said.
Once the storm cleared, a helicopter was used to look for him the following morning, deputies said.
He was found at about 7 a.m. on Saturday, April 19.
Deputies said he was cold and wet after being found in a T-shirt and pants, so he was taken to a hospital.
This story was originally published April 21, 2025 at 12:22 PM with the headline "Husband lost in desert nearly 2 days amid storm after Jeep breaks down, AZ cops say."
