A mother and her young son have been rescued in California after leaving handwritten SOS notes that were discovered by search teams. Tami Laird, 49, and her nine-year-old son Stirling became stranded in a remote forest for over 24 hours after following a GPS route that led them onto logging trails.
The pair had left their home in Roseville on Friday afternoon for a three-hour journey to Camp Wolfeboro. They became lost when they ventured onto a maze of forest service roads, and Laird lost her mobile phone signal. Their Nissan Sentra became stuck after repeatedly bottoming out, leaving them unable to free the vehicle.
Laird used maps from her car to write notes pleading for help, while her son blew a whistle three times in succession—an international distress signal. They also left a trail of rocks and tied strips of brown sheet to branches to guide rescuers. The notes read: 'HELP. Me and my son are stranded with no service and can’t call 911. We are ahead, up the road to the right. Please call 911 to get help for us. Thank you!'
The Calaveras County Sheriff's Office received a missing person report from the family on Saturday afternoon. A volunteer search and rescue team, already training in the area, was deployed. They used four-wheeled vehicles to scour the network of roads. A deputy and a Forest Service ranger received a tip from campers who had seen a matching vehicle on Friday.
Volunteer Tony Fernandez discovered one of the notes on a forest service road. About a mile further, the team found a second note, and then located Laird and her son in their vehicle another mile down the road. The vehicle was freed, and the pair were reunited with their family.
Lieutenant Greg Stark of the Calaveras County Sheriff's Office said the notes 'absolutely accelerated the timeline in which they were found.' The mother and son were described as tired but otherwise unharmed.
