Mary Joanna Gomez, 56 from Mississippi was found alive and in stable condition by National Park Service personnel on the afternoon of October 28th after using rocks to spell out ‘SOS’ on the ground. She was found off-trail about 3.5 miles over rocky and steep terrain from her vehicle.
Mrs. Gomez was reported missing by her family after missing her work shift in the Bay Area on Friday, October 25th. Her last contact with family had been the day prior while visiting Kings Canyon National Park when she stated her intention to visit Sequoia. Her vehicle was located on the night of October 26th which helped narrow down the search zone.
A California Air National Guard aircraft C-130 first located an SOS spelled out with rocks on the ground and later identified a person nearby. Ground searchers responded and were able to find Mrs. Gomez cold, thirsty and hungry, but in otherwise good health.
“Ground searchers responded and were able to find Mrs. Gomez cold, thirsty and hungry, but in otherwise good health,” reads a statement shared on the Facebook page for Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.
Gomez, who’s a traveling nurse based in San Francisco, had visited Kings Canyon National Park and said Thursday she intended to visit the Sequoia Park.
