Ventura County Sheriff's Department

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Search & Rescue, the Sheriff’s Air Unit, and Ojai Station Patrol Deputies responded to a lost eighty-three year old hiker in the Ventura Riverbed Preserve in Meiner’s Oaks. The subject was located in good health and reunited with her family.

On October 14, 2014, at about 6:30 pm, Olga Avila of Meiners Oaks went to walk her dog on the Oso Trailhead in the Ventura Riverbed Preserve. At about 7:30 pm, Ms. Avila telephoned her daughter stating she was disorientated, that it was getting dark and she could not find her way home. The Ventura County Sheriff’s 911 dispatch center was contacted and initiated a patrol response. At about 7:45 pm deputies arrived on scene at the trailhead and began a search for Ms. Avila.

With family members on scene, deputies were able to establish telephone contact with Ms. Avila and ensure she was in good health. However, she could not be easily located even with the land marks and clues given by Ms. Avila over the phone. The search operation expanded to include members of the Upper Ojai Search & Rescue Team. These highly trained professional searchers began deploying to possible trails and locations where Ms. Avila was believed to be located.

At about 10:00 pm, the search effort for Ms. Avila expanded once again with the inclusion of the Sheriff’s Air Unit and a ranger from the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy. At about 10:30 pm, This coordinated effort led to the discovery of Ms. Avila’s dog who had strayed away from her side. Once her dog was located, Ms. Avila was then located by the Sheriff’s Air Unit a moderate distance away in the river bottom. Ms. Avila was found in good health and was assisted out of the river bottom by members of search & rescue, and the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy Ranger.

With the change of the seasons, the days are starting to shorten. If you decide to enjoy a late afternoon hike it is always a good practice to have a small flashlight on hand should you find yourself out past dark unexpectedly. Always let someone know where you are hiking, and what time you expect to return. Lastly, it is also a good practice to be prepared with some essentials like water, snacks, sunscreen, etc. An example of outdoor essentials for hiking can be found here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scout_Outdoor_Essentials .

Nature of Incident: Missing hiker rescued by Sheriff’s Search & Rescue.
Report Number: 14-0023542
Location: Oso Trailhead, Ventura Riverbed Preserve, Meiners Oaks CA
Date & Time: 10/14/2014 @ 7:50 PM
Unit(s) Responsible: Ojai Patrol Station, Ventura County Sheriff Search & Rescue / Air Unit
(S)uspects, (V)ictims, (P)arty, (D)ecedent City of Residence Age
Olga Avila, Meiner’s Oaks, 83
Prepared by: Sgt. Donoghue #2735
Media Release Date: 10/15/2014
Follow-Up Contact: Sgt. Rick Harwood, Ojai Patrol Station, (805) 646-1414
Approved by: Captain Dave Kenney #2612

Ventura County Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 reward for information, which leads to the arrest and criminal complaint against the person(s) responsible for this crime. The caller may remain anonymous. The call is not recorded. Call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).