FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) — Missing in the mountains…
“We just wanna find him, make sure he’s OK. That’s about all we’re doing up here,” said Jimmy Malloenee, a childhood friend of Ron Dailey.
Dailey has been missing since Monday near Shaver Lake.
“He knows his way around here. So, it don’t make sense,” said Malloenee.
He and Randy Mattos drove up to Shaver Lake from Caruthers to help scan the area for their longtime friend.
“I wanted to give the family some support. You know, it’s a lonely feeling,” said Mattos.
Authorities said Dailey drove up to the Shaver Lake area for a day of hunting. When he didn’t return home that night, his family alerted the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office.
Officials say it’s been like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
“Some of the search area is in the snow, some of the search area is out of the snow. So, it takes different kinds of equipment to go to those different areas,” said Fresno County Sergeant Scott Weishaar.
More than 30 people from Kern and Madera County Sheriff’s Offices as well as search and rescue volunteers were deployed on Friday.
With the search now expanding to about 280 square miles and dozens of volunteers wanting to help, Weishaar wants people to know, it’s important to follow the sheriff’s office lead with this ongoing search through the wilderness.
“Sometimes someone can come up with good intentions to help in the search, but at the same time they might be hurting us because they’re laying tracks. So, they’re walking through an area looking while we may see those two tracks and think “well is that our missing person?” said Weishaar.
Dailey’s family said- he is diabetic and did not take his medication with him – adding another layer of urgency to this search.
If you’ve seen anything that could help locate Dailey, you’re encouraged to contact the Fresno County sheriff’s office.
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