Sonora, CA…On February 4, 2026, at approximately 12:30 p.m., deputies received a report that 74-year-old Dan Iwata had gone for a walk from his residence in the Cedar Ridge area of Tuolumne County earlier in the morning and had not returned. Deputies began searching the surrounding areas on foot and in vehicles and could not locate Dan. The Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Search & Rescue (TCSAR) team was contacted and immediately deployed several members to begin searching. The Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) team was also activated to assist with searching for Dan with a drone. Deputies contacted the California Highway Patrol (CHP), which issued a Silver Alert for Dan. The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) was contacted to help coordinate mutual aid resources for continued searching the following day.

On the morning of February 5, 2026, TCSAR resumed search operations using quads, side-by-side UTVs, E-bikes, and a TCSAR K9. CHP assisted with a helicopter search, and the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office provided a trailing K9. As concern continued to grow, the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office was preparing to launch its helicopter, and additional search-and-rescue resources from Stanislaus, San Joaquin, and Nevada counties were on the way when Dan was located by two TCSAR members on E-bikes.

Dan was found alert and was evaluated by medics at the scene before being transported to the hospital for further examination.

We are grateful for the assistance of our partners at CHP, Cal OES, Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office, Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office, San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office, nevada_county_sheriffs_office, and for the support from community members who shared information and reported possible sightings.

We would also like to extend our utmost thanks to the Sonora Area Foundation for the donation that enabled the TCSAR team to purchase E-bikes, which were instrumental in this successful outcome.

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