SEVERAL RESCUED AFTER BEING LOST IN DESERT OVERNIGHT

3850 Justice El Paso, TX 79938    

NEWS RELEASE

Contact: Deputy Jesse Tovar /  PUBLIC AFFAIRS  

Direct: (915) 538-2119

Pager: (915) 533-0733 (#5370)

EMAIL: jtovar@epcounty.com

Release Date / Time:  Monday, September  21, 2009  10:10 AM

SECTION: El Paso County Sheriff's Office  (LOWER VALLEY PATROL / STRIKE TEAM)

EVENT:  SEVERAL RESCUED AFTER BEING LOST IN DESERT  OVERNIGHT

LOCATION OF OCCURRENCE: DESERT AREA – FAR EAST El Paso County, TX

DATE / TIME: Sunday , September  20, 2009 7:00 AM

RESULT:   SEVERAL RESCUED 

  EL PASO COUNTY, TX- Early Sunday morning 09-20-09 at about 7:00 AM, Sheriff’s Office Dispatch Operators received an emergency call from a 50 year-old male who told operators he was lost in the desert with several other individuals (4 males) & had been out there since the night before. The caller told dispatchers he did not know their exact location but did say he believed the group was about 10-15 miles from Cattleman’s Steakhouse in Fabens Texas. Additional information provided was that the caller was a diabetic and was in need of his medication.

Patrol Deputies immediately responded and began searching the immediate desert area near Fabens Carlsbad Rd which runs from Montana to Fabens & is a very rugged road with tough terrain. Due to the location of the lost party, the Sheriff’s Office Strike Team was summoned to the area.

Air support was requested from the U.S. Customs & Border Protection. After responding to the area, USCBP Air Unit spotted the lost party about 5 miles east of the 16999 block of Horizon and about 8 miles north east of 3450 S. Fabens Carlsbad Rd. The location the subjects were located was in Hudspeth County. USCBP Air Unit advised Sheriff’s Officials that they landed the helicopter to check on the subjects & advised that the subjects were dehydrated and one subject was a diabetic in need of medical attention.

The Strike Team deployed two Polaris "Razor" all-terrain vehicles to assist in searching the desert area. USCBP Air Unit led Strike Team Deputies to the location of the subjects which was approximately 7 miles northeast of Horizon and Gasline Road. A little after 9:00 AM, all subjects were rescued & transported out of the desert.  Two of the five males were later transported by Life Ambulance to area hospitals for medical evaluation.

The subjects were in the desert area looking for property owned by a family member and were unfamiliar with the terrain.  The males were in a two wheel drive vehicle that was unable to maneuver over the terrain.  The vehicle became disabled in a large mud/water puddle caused by overnight rain. 

All Rescued Victim’s are from the El Paso, Texas area & were identified as:

• Victim: #1 MANUEL CONTRERAS (50)  - Diabetic -transported to Del Sol Medical Center
• Victim: #2 JASSIEL CONTRERAS (17)-transported to Del Sol Medical Center
• Victim #3 JOSHUA CONTRERAS (18)- treated & released at scene
• Victim #4 STEVEN TORRES (18)-  treated & released at scene
• Victim #5 ADRIAN ARREOLA (19) -treated & released at scene

 ALL PARTIES ARE SAFE AT HOME & HAVE BEEN REUNITED WITH THEIR FAMILIES. 

NO OTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME.

    END OF NEWS RELEASE

The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office in March of 2001 was the first Sheriff’s Office in the State of Texas to be Internationally Accredited from CALEA and is now the recipient of the First CALEA Tri-Arc award in Texas (4^th in the Nation) to have accreditations in: Law Enforcement, Communications, Training Academy.