LAKE COUNTY — A nine-hour search and rescue operation coordinated by the Lake County Sheriff”s Office (LCSO) on Sunday night resulted in the safe recovery of a Loch Lomond woman.
LCSO Sgt. Steve Brooks, public information officer stated that at approximately 11 p.m., deputies responded to an area owned by Calpine Corporation off of Cold Water Creek Road, for a report of an overdue hiker.
Aiyana Hickman, 32, accessed the Calpine property through the geothermal gate on Bottle Rock Road at about 11 a.m. Sunday. She was attempting to hike to an area known as the Big Falls.
Family members said Hickman called them from her cellphone at approximately 5 p.m. Phone reception was poor, but family members thought something was wrong. Hickman was told to call back when she was able to get to an area where her phone had better service.
At approximately 10 p.m. Family members said she called again and said she was lost, lost her shoes and was scraped up from falling and trying to find her way through the dense brush.
Hickman did not have any food or water and was not prepared to spend the night in the woods.
LCSO central dispatch center was able to obtain Hickman”s general location from a 9-1-1 call she made. Deputies responded to the area, Hickman contacted dispatch using her cellphone. She said she could see the lights from patrol cars.
Deputies attempted to make their way up to Hickman but were unable, because of dense vegetation. Deputies then made voice contact with Hickman by yelling and told her to say at her current location.
At approximately 11:30 p.m. the Sheriff”s Search and Rescue (SAR) coordinator began calling in resources for a SAR mission. Man trackers, K-CORPS members and four-wheel drive teams were summoned to the area.
SAR members were able to contact Hickman by yelling back and forth. A compass bearing was taken and two search teams were established. Teams were sent from different starting points to locate Hickman.
On Monday at approximately 4:30 a.m. Hickman was located by one of the search teams and was treated for shock, dehydration and numerous lacerations.
The search teams were not be able to bring Hickman out without additional resources, because of dense brush and steep terrain.
At 7:20 a.m. a California Highway Patrol Helicopter from Redding arrived and prepared for extraction. At approximately 8 a.m. Hickman was successfully extracted and brought to a meadow located off of Coldwater Creek Road. CAL FIRE paramedics were on scene and examined Hickman, determining there was no medical urgency and Hickman was released to family members.
