A MOM and her 9-year-old son have been saved from a remote forest after they left behind clues for their rescuers.
Cops followed a trail of breadcrumbs consisting of handwritten notes that led them to where the quick-thinking pair was stranded.
Tami, 49, along with her son Stirling, were on their way from Sacramento to a Boy Scout camp located in Calaveras County on Friday when they found themselves trapped in the vast expanse of the Sierra Nevada wilderness overnight.
The mom lost GPS signal and became stranded in a remote area, police said.
Then their car became stuck in the dirt, leaving them trapped in nature without any cell service.
Tami called 911 repeatedly, but none of the calls went through, she told ABC affiliate KXTV.
Then, her son started blowing his Cub Scout whistle in hopes that someone would hear it and come looking for them.
“He had learned what to do in such situations, so we kept trying various methods for hours until we understood we would have to stay there through the night,” Tami shared with KXTV.
The mother and son duo spent the night in their vehicle, which was situated about 10 miles from the nearest paved road, as reported by the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office.
The next morning, Tami and Stirling set out to search for help.
Along the way, they left handwritten notes dated July 11 in case anyone stumbled upon them.
“We didn’t want to get lost from our car, so we did leave a note on our car saying that we were walking away by foot,” Tami said.
“I had a sheet in the car, so I tore the sheet up and we took the strips with us, and everywhere we walked, we hung those on the trees so that we would be able to get back to the car.”
That afternoon, their family reported them missing after Camp Wolfeboro reported that they hadn’t arrived and weren’t answering their cell phones, cops said.
While a search and rescue team searched the area for the missing mom and son that evening, volunteers stumbled upon a handwritten note from Tami begging for help.
“HELP,” the note said, according to a picture shared by CCSO.
“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!”
Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office’s statement
The Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office shared the following statement about rescuing Tami and her son Stirling:
On July 12, 2025, the Calaveras County Volunteer Team conducted its monthly training session near Spicer’s Reservoir. At approximately 1:20 PM, the Calaveras County Dispatch Center received a report regarding two individuals traveling to the area who were overdue and not answering their cellular phones. The reporting person stated that on July 11th, at about 1:30 PM, the missing persons, a 49-year-old mother and her nine-year-old son, left the Sacramento area headed to Camp Wolfeboro, located in the upper Highway 4 area. A deputy was dispatched to initiate a missing person investigation, and the Search and Rescue Team was deployed to begin search efforts.
The deputy contacted the Sacramento area agency and the reporting party to establish a timeline and determine the possible route the missing person was taking. The reporting party also provided a location obtained from a location-sharing application they previously used with the missing person.
The Search and Rescue Team responded from their training location and established a command post near Highway 4 and the Black Springs OHV Recreational Area. The team began assessing the terrain and the complex network of interconnecting, labyrinth-like roads to establish effective search parameters. This allowed them to quickly initiate a road-based search using four-wheel-drive vehicles and a specially equipped side-by-side UTV. California Highway air assets were also requested to assist with the search efforts.
While conducting their search, a Deputy and a Forest Service Law Enforcement Ranger responded to a 911 text from campers in the area between Black Springs and Winton Road, who reported observing a vehicle matching the description of the missing persons around 4:00 PM on July 11. This information, along with data provided by the reporting party, confirmed that the teams were searching in the correct area.
At approximately 5:40 PM, a Search and Rescue team located a handwritten note posted at an intersection of a remote Forest Service Road. The note indicated that the author and her son were stranded and in need of assistance. The team followed the road and found another note, which provided additional information, including a telephone number and the names of the missing individuals. About a mile later, the searchers located the missing persons and their vehicle.
Due to the isolated location, which included dense forest and canopy, the search and rescue members were unable to communicate their discovery to the command post via conventional radio frequencies or cell phone. They utilized an amateur radio frequency, commonly known as HAM radio, to establish communication. After broadcasting “emergency traffic” on the HAM radio, their call was immediately answered by a retired El Dorado County Communications Supervisor who was a HAM Operator monitoring frequencies from his home. This HAM operator then contacted the El Dorado 911 center, which provided the information to Calaveras Dispatch, and the SAR command post was notified.
The Search Team was able to use vehicle recovery equipment to free the vehicle and assisted them back to the command post and to their awaiting family members.
Once back at the command post, the search managers and team members were able to piece together the circumstances that led to the missing persons becoming lost, as well as the actions they took to assist in the search efforts. In summary, the driver was using a GPS unit that supplemented common routes with additional remote roads. When the GPS signal was lost, the missing persons had already traveled deep into the remote area and were unable to retrace their route. The missing person posted the notes at intersections near their location and used the vehicle’s hazard lights at night to enhance the likelihood of being found. The nine-year-old even used his whistle to periodically deploy three short bursts, an international signal for help. Of importance in the successful outcome was their pre-trip notification of telling someone where they were going and when to expect them back.
The Calaveras County Volunteer Search and Rescue Team accepts applications for membership on a continual basis. Persons of all skill levels should contact Lt. Stark at 209-754-6783 or visit calaverassar.org for more information.
Then they found a second note nearby telling people to “follow the strips of brown sheet,” which they left behind with a torn paper bag.
Police said Tami and Stirling also left a trail of rocks pointing in their direction in case the notes blew away in the wind.
About a mile away from the notes, the searchers found the mother and son at around 6:30 pm.
‘BEST FEELING EVER’
Tami became emotional while recalling the moment she realized they were saved to KXTV.
“The longer we were out there, the more we were worried that nobody was gonna come for us,” Tami said.
“Then we heard another honk and I turned around and I saw this truck coming down the road and it was just the best feeling ever.”
The sheriff’s office praised the family for staying close to their vehicle, and Stirling for using his Boy Scout whistle for three short bursts, which is the international signal for help.
“There’s hundreds of square miles of elaborate roadworks out there,” SCSO spokesperson Lt. Greg Stark told ABC News.
“They were in the search area, but putting the handwritten notes posted at the intersections — that absolutely accelerated the timeline in which they were found.”
He added, “They did what they should have, and it certainly worked out well.”
