Missing Yosemite Park Employee Found Alive Near Wawona

Yosemite National Park officials announced today that missing 23-year-old park employee Jessica Garcia has been found alive. 

Search and rescue crews located the missing employee on Tuesday in a rugged area around two miles from the South Fork Drainage of the Merced River.

Garcia was reported missing after she failed to show up to work on Sunday. She was last seen near Wawona on Saturday. 

From the official press release:

Jessica Garcia, an employee of DNC Parks & Resorts at Yosemite, Inc., has been located alive after she was reported missing when she did not show up for work at the Wawona Hotel on Sunday, October 7, 2012. Garcia was located at approximately 1:00 p.m. this afternoon by a member of the Yosemite National Park Search and Rescue Team less than two miles up the South Fork Drainage of the Merced River in the southern portion of Yosemite National Park.  She was hiking off-trail in this  rugged area of the park. She will be transported to a local hospital for a medical evaluation

Garcia was last seen at approximately 11:30 a.m. on Saturday morning, October 6, 2012, walking in the Wawona residential area. She had just attended an employee orientation session. When she did not show up for work on Sunday, October 7, the National Park Service was notified and search efforts were initiated.

Approximately 50 people were involved in the Search and Rescue operation today. This included 6 dog teams, 15 ground searchers, a Park Ranger on horseback, the park helicopter, and other personnel.

Yosemite National Park would like to extend its sincere thanks to the Tuolumne County Sheriff's Office, Madera County Sheriff's Office, Mariposa County Sheriff's Office, Fresno County Sheriff's Office, YoDogs (volunteers with search and rescue dogs) and the Marin County Sheriff's Office for their assistance in the search.