Kyndall Jack, Second Missing California Hiker, Found Alive

Kyndall Jack, the second missing teen hiker in a California canyon, has been recovered alive and taken to the hospital after a lengthy ordeal in the Costa Mesa wildnerness.

Jack and friend Nick Cendoya went missing on Easter Sunday, after becoming lost in the wilderness and being unable to locate their car.

The pair then called 911 for help, and a search ensued for days as the teens wandered in the brush. Worry intensified by Wednesday, as the pair were not believed to have water and had been exposed to the elements — albeit elements described as “survivable.”

Cendoya was found dehydrated and disoriented in the brush in Costa Mesa yesterday, but had been separated from and unable to lead searchers to Jack. It was later revealed he had believed his hiking companion had already been rescued.

It is not known precisely where Kyndall Jack was found in the canyon, but rescuers say the teen was difficult to retrieve once she was located alive. Orange County Sheriff’s Lt. Jason Park said:

“We started to close in. We heard the voice from all our ground crews and surrounded it and made contact with her … It was very difficult to extract her.”

Before Jack was found, her father Russ Jack confirmed that Cendoya had believed his hiking companion had been already saved. Jack said:

‘Nicholas obviously was disoriented because of dehydration … he thought that Kyndall had already been rescued. He told us, ‘I haven’t seen her for a day. I think she’s already been rescued.”

While the teens are alive, both California hikers remain hospitalized.