Oakland woman found after going missing near Fort Bragg

MENDOCINO COUNTY — A 70-year-old Oakland woman who vanished earlier this week while hiking near Fort Bragg was rescued Thursday afternoon, according to authorities.

A search party found Elizabeth Schenk around 4 p.m. in a heavily wooded area north of the city, Mendocino County sheriff’s Capt. Quincy Cromer said in a news release.

Schenk was in stable condition and good spirits, appearing to have suffered only minor cuts and scrapes after spending two nights and nearly three days in the wilderness.

Cromer said she was taken to Adventist Mendocino Coast Hospital in Fort Bragg for a medical evaluation.

Schenk vanished around 9 a.m. Tuesday while hiking on a logging road near Bruhel Point Road.

The sheriff’s office, along with several search and rescue organizations, scoured the area Tuesday night and conducted additional searches Wednesday and Thursday.

Cromer said the search for Schenk was hindered by “treacherous terrain and tough wilderness.” As a result, additional search and rescue resources were requested through the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services for Thursday’s search.

That search involved more than 70 volunteers and seven specially trained dogs. In the mid-afternoon, a search party located an article of clothing that appeared to belong to Schenk. She was ultimately found 200 yards away, according to Cromer.

Cromer said Schenk was reunited with her family before she was taken to the hospital.