HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE, Calif. – A Hidden Valley Lake woman was found safe late Friday, several hours after she walked away from her home.
Diana Korona, 65, was reported to have left her Powder Horn Road home at around 3:30 p.m., which led to a search of the area that lasted until her discovery at around 10:30 p.m.
The California Highway Patrol issued a Silver Alert for Korona – who is reported to have dementia – however, no Nixle alert was issued by the sheriff's office.
Late Friday, nearly a dozen Search and Rescue personnel and several sheriff's deputies were at a command post on Powder Horn Road.
A deputy who appeared to be in charge of organizing the group would not speak about the operation to Lake County News, instead referring comment to the sheriff's office public information officer, who could not be reached late Friday night.
The Cal Fire Command Center confirmed to Lake County News that South Lake County Fire volunteers, a Cal Fire battalion chief and an engine had been part of the search effort, and that Korona had been located.
Hidden Valley Lake resident Vale Hanzel, a retired law enforcement officer, heard Korona was missing through a Facebook post and went out to help look for her.
Cal Fire, Search and Rescue and sheriff's deputies were saturating the area where Korona was last seen, he said.
Hanzel said he spent about three hours searching, even driving as far away as Middletown.
He said it was at around 10:30 p.m., as he was getting ready to return home, that he heard radio traffic indicating she had been found, which he was able to confirm with a friend.
He then drove by a home on Powder Horn where he saw Korona with officials. She was found in a garage about 100 yards from the command post.
Hanzel said it appeared that a deputy who had been searching the area had found her.
A medic unit responded to check Korona. Hanzel said she appeared uninjured.
John Lindblom contributed to this report.
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