FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) — A 70-year-old Fresno man is recovering after he was found alive following six days missing in a remote area near Pine Flat Lake, bringing relief to his family after an extensive search.<\/p>\n
Family members reported Rondy Packard Sr. missing after he did not return from a fishing trip last Sunday. The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office searched the wilderness for nearly a week before locating him Saturday afternoon.<\/p>\n
Packard is now recovering at Clovis Community Medical Center. His family said he is improving gradually after the ordeal.<\/p>\n
Valerie Packard said the days her husband was missing were among the most difficult her family has experienced.<\/p>\n
“I was sick. I was sick. It was hard for me to sleep. I maybe got two hours of sleep,” she said.<\/p>\n
According to family members, concern grew when Packard failed to return home from his fishing trip before dark.<\/p>\n
“When it started getting close to dark, I got concerned because I know they don’t really fish out there after dark,” Valerie Packard said.<\/p>\n
The next day, Packard missed a doctor’s appointment. Packard said her husband’s diabetes added to their concerns.<\/p>\n
“Not having his injection that he’s supposed to take every Wednesday, he didn’t have that medication,” she said.<\/p>\n
Before authorities launched an official search operation, loved ones searched the area around Pine Flat Lake. Packard’s son, Andrew, used technology to help locate his father’s Nissan pickup truck.<\/p>\n
“This app that they use for these new vehicles, I was able to download that, using his VIN number and getting proof of ownership, I was able to find his vehicle location on Trimmer Springs Road,” Andrew Packard said.<\/p>\n
Family members said Packard’s cell phone also pinged in the area.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, search-and-rescue teams found Packard about 500 feet from his truck. Family members said he was severely dehydrated and covered in mud when a California Highway Patrol helicopter rescued him from the rugged terrain.<\/p>\n
Andrew Packard described the emotions his family felt upon learning his father had been found.<\/p>\n
“Tears of joy. My mom shouted. There were emotions coming out,” he said.<\/p>\n
For Valerie, the rescue brought overwhelming relief.<\/p>\n
“I was thanking god. I was so shocked. I was so happy that he was alive,” she said.<\/p>\n
The family believes Packard’s military experience as a Marine veteran helped him survive in the wilderness. They also expressed gratitude to the search and rescue crews who reunited them with their loved ones.<\/p>\n
Family members told Action News they are optimistic Packard will recover well and plan to remain by his side until he is discharged from the hospital.<\/p>\n
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