A 72-year-old northern California hiker missing for days after a fall was found alive Sunday and airlifted for treatment, a rescue helped by loved ones and joint sheriff teams.
Mary Beth Granbery was located alive on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026, at the bottom of a steep embankment in Shasta County after going missing on a multi-day camping trip. She had multiple significant injuries from a fall and from exposure and was airlifted to a medical center.
ABC News reported she was reunited safely with loved ones after the rescue in the northern California forest.
The outcome followed a joint search across rough ground after her planned trip went wrong and she failed to return to work.
Granbery departed Sept. 28 for a multi-day camping trip at Cabin Creek Trailhead in Shasta County, California. She was reported missing Friday, Oct. 2, after she did not return to work that day.
The Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office and the Shasta County Sheriff's Office launched a joint search and rescue operation on Saturday. Volunteers and California Highway Patrol Air Operations joined the effort.
Officials also found her camper van that Saturday at a nearby trailhead, narrowing where crews needed to look.
Shasta County Search and Rescue Jeep Patrol described the search area as steep terrain with creeks, trail debris, and downed trees. That is hard country for any hiker, and worse for someone hurt and alone.
On Sunday, crews found Granbery at the bottom of a steep embankment in Shasta County. She was alive. She had taken multiple significant injuries from the fall and from exposure. Rescuers airlifted her to a medical center for treatment.
Loved ones who helped with the search provided critical information, the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office said in the account carried by ABC News. She was reunited with them after the airlift.
After the rescue, officials reminded the public to tell someone the departure point and the expected return time before heading out. They also urged people who get lost to stay put so search teams do not have to cover ever-wider ground.
Those basics matter in Shasta County woods where embankments, debris, and creek lines can hide a person for days. Granbery’s case shows how fast a camping trip can turn into a multi-agency air-and-ground operation when no check-in comes.
Siskiyou and Shasta deputies, volunteers, and CHP Air Operations put the pieces together after the Friday missing-person report. The van on Saturday and the family tips helped point the way. By Sunday she was out of the ravine and headed for care.
When someone fails to come home from the trail, competent local law enforcement and neighbors still make the difference between a funeral and a reunion.
