A TEENAGER camper was found dead and another person is missing after a panicked phone call from a toad launches a rescue mission to find them.
Mystery surrounds the couple’s disappearance as California authorities continue to search for a 57-year-old man.
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Local authorities found the 14-year-old boy dead Wednesday in a trailhead area near the town of Berry Creek, California, according to a press release from the Butte County Sheriff’s Office.
The teen had been on a camping trip with his father and a family friend, but at some point the father became separated from the group.
The father, who has not been identified by authorities, called the Butte County Sheriff’s Office asking for help locating his son and friend.
That led to a search and rescue mission for the campers.
“After the man’s phone call, [Butte County Sheriff’s Office] deputies responded to Berry Creek and began searching for the missing persons,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
Deputies said staff found the 14-year-old victim on the evening of July 13 near the bottom of a bluff. He was pronounced dead on the spot.
The family friend, who was identified as 57-year-old Christopher Stephenson, is still missing.
Authorities said they were looking for Stephenson in the Berry Creek area.
Search and rescue teams and special enforcement unit representatives responded to assist in the search.
A helicopter was also used in the operation.
The case is still under investigation, although no malicious intent is suspected at this time, the sheriff’s office said.
The search mission has been complicated by the fact that some hiking trails in the area have been damaged by wildfires, according to the local CBS affiliate in Sacramento.
A man who lives near where the search is being conducted told the news station that the area is a difficult place to walk.
“Absolutely, 100 percent would be difficult. Almost insane,” local resident Rob Shipley told CBS13.
Authorities are urging anyone with information about the incident or missing person to contact the Butte County Sheriff’s Office at 530 538-7322.