Search underway for 70-year-old California man who went missing on off-road trail

A 70-year-old man has been missing since Friday after walking away from his group while on an off-road trail in California, authorities said.

Warren Elliott was last seen on the Rubicon Trail in Placer County Friday afternoon, according to the Placer County Sheriff’s Office.

He was a passenger in his son’s Jeep and was with a group doing trail rehab ahead of an upcoming Jeep jamboree, the sheriff’s office said. He walked away amid the work and has not been seen or heard from since, the sheriff’s office said Monday.

The sheriff’s office had previously said Elliott went missing after taking his Jeep out on the trail, before providing additional information.

Elliott was last seen wearing a blue short-sleeve shirt and blue denim shorts. The sheriff’s office released a photo Tuesday of Elliott taken on the day he went missing in which he is seen wearing those clothes, as well as a hat that he had left behind.

Searchers from multiple agencies and organizations are involved in the search, according to the sheriff’s office.

The search for Elliott continued on Tuesday, with 48 trained searchers out, the sheriff’s office said.

“This is a very technical search, in tough terrain,” the sheriff’s office said on Monday. “It can be dangerous for those who are not highly trained with the right equipment.”

Search teams were being transported to the area by California and Nevada National Guard Blackhawk helicopters due to the difficulty of accessing the area.

On Monday, about 50 searchers, including two drone operators and four dog teams, were involved in the search, the sheriff’s office said.

More than 100 searchers were involved in the search and rescue operation on Sunday, the sheriff’s office said.

The Rubicon Trail is an approximately 22-mile-long route near Lake Tahoe that features a popular off-highway vehicle trail.