El Dorado County officials say the search for Jason Coughran, 60, missing near Lake Tahoe since May 25 is “not called off,” even after nearly all rescue crews were sent home due to dwindling hopes that he is alive.
For days, the sound of helicopters and the shuffle of boots through dense backcountry replaced ordinary quiet around Lake Tahoe. But by Monday. the search for Jason Coughran had changed shape: nearly all rescue crews were sent home as El Dorado County officials faced a grim reality about the likelihood that the Sacramento Valley man was still alive.
“We don’t have active boots on the ground right now, but we were in a helicopter on Wednesday and have future plans to go with more ground crews,” El Dorado sheriff’s deputy Gregory Almos said.
Almos emphasized the effort was still moving forward despite the drawdown. “It’s not called off,” he said. “We were in a helicopter on Wednesday and have future plans to go with more ground crews.”
Just a week earlier, nearly 200 rescue workers—mostly volunteers—were combing the Desolation Wilderness in El Dorado National Forest, hunting for Coughran after he went missing on May 25. By Monday, Almos said, hope of finding him alive had dwindled.
“If we were out looking for a person that was up and able to attract attention, then we would have found him,” the deputy said.
Coughran disappeared in a popular recreation area near Lake Tahoe as a low-pressure system moved in. Temperatures dropped toward freezing, and the late-season storm brought snow and rain that significantly reduced the chances of survival.
Rescuers responded quickly, building a large network of volunteers and professionals across California. About 20 agencies were tapped to scour roughly 60,000 acres of woodland.
Those teams have since been sent home, but the search did not go dark. Almos said officials have continued flying a helicopter over the area and are focusing on segments that are difficult to reach from the ground.
“We’ve been flying our helicopter over the area … and continue searching some of the segments that are hard to reach from the ground,” he said. He added that future plans are already in place, including “another large effort coming here relatively soon.”
Lake Tahoe El Dorado County missing hiker Jason Coughran Desolation Wilderness search and rescue helicopter search Memorial Day
So they pulled the crews but it’s still not called off??
Praying for him but I keep thinking those storms this time of year are brutal. If they didn’t find him yet… I don’t know. Helicopters are just expensive circles right?
Maybe they’re searching the wrong part of Tahoe? Like people hear Lake Tahoe and assume it’s the whole place. “Desolation Wilderness” sounds huge too, so how do they even narrow it down without volunteers forever?
This says they don’t have active boots on the ground but they were flying Wednesday and plan more crews, which sounds like they’re just switching from rescue to… idk waiting? Also “if he was able to attract attention we would have found him” like what does that mean, he was yelling into snow?? Sad either way.