Man takes taxi to mountain trailhead after car crash — then vanishes, CA cops say
A man who took a taxi to a mountain trailhead after a car crash has been missing for two weeks, California police say.
Lesner Noe Velasquez Cardenas, 21, “was last seen by a taxi cab driver on Thursday, May 29, 2025, where he was dropped off at a trailhead to Avalanche Gulch on Mount Shasta,” the Redding Police Department said in a June 10 Facebook post.
Cardenas was in a traffic collision May 29, police said in a June 4 Facebook post.
He called California Highway Patrol about the crash but left before officers arrived, police said.
Cardenas’ roommates and acquaintances told detectives they believe he got a ride back to his apartment, police said.
However, he was not at his apartment, and no one knew where he was, according to police.
Cardenas was reported missing to the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office on May 31, police said.
Deputies learned Cardenas had in fact returned home after the crash but went missing sometime later, according to police.
Police said they took over the investigation June 4.
Detectives learned a cab picked up Cardenas near a Wells Fargo bank about 2 miles from his apartment shortly before 2:30 p.m. on May 29, police said.
After confirming Cardenas’ identity, the cab driver told detectives he took him “to Mt. Shasta where he dropped him off at the trailhead to Avalanche Gulch,” police said.
Cardenas had backpacking gear and “made statements about trying to beat a friend’s time to complete a hike,” according to police.
At the time of his disappearance, Cardenas had a cellphone “but it has not been in service since” the afternoon he disappeared, police said.
Working with the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office’s search and rescue team, police said they scoured the area June 6 and 7.
The California Highway Patrol also searched by air, police said.
Despite search efforts, Cardenas was not found, according to police.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 530-225-4200.
Redding is about a 160-mile drive north from Sacramento.
This story was originally published June 12, 2025 at 3:10 PM with the headline "Man takes taxi to mountain trailhead after car crash — then vanishes, CA cops say."
