OAN Staff James Meyers
12:20 PM – Thursday, May 15, 2025
A woman from Georgia who had been missing for three weeks after hiking near California’s Sierra Nevada mountain range was miraculously found alive in a “snow-covered” cabin, Fresno County authorities announced.
Sierra Nevada, a major mountain range of western North America, runs along the eastern edge of California.
The Fresno County’s Sheriff’s Office stated that the family of Tiffany Slaton, from Jeffersonville, Georgia, reported her missing on April 29th — explaining that they had not spoken with her in the past nine days, which was untypical of her.
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Authorities noted in their news release that 27-year-old Slaton was found after the owner of the Vermillion Valley Resort stopped by the area to check on his properties in Kaiser Pass. The owner then suddenly noticed that a woman was residing in one of his cabins.
The owner of the resort, Christopher Gutierrez, told police that he had “left a cabin unlocked as a precaution for this exact situation where someone who is lost could seek shelter and increase their chances of surviving the outdoor elements and harsh weather.”
Police continued, stating that Slaton was found extremely dehydrated, but “was otherwise in good condition.” She has since been taken to the hospital for observations.
During the investigation, police confirmed that she was last seen on April 20th at Huntington Lake — 65 miles east of Fresno.
Just four days later, she was also seen at Cressman’s General Store, which is 20 miles west of Huntington Lake. However, following this, the authorities were not able to track down her location from that point on.
In the beginning of May, a full-scale investigation was launched in the mountainous area. Authorities said that they searched a nearly 600-mile span — covering Mono Hot Spring to Wishon Reservoir, and Pine Flat Lake to Auberry.
However, search efforts were curtailed before reaching Kaiser Pass. Deputies reported conducting an aerial survey of the area with their helicopter, but found no evidence or traces of Slaton.
On Wednesday, snow plows were able to clear up Kaiser Pass, allowing Gutierrez to access his property — which eventually led to the discovery of Slaton, who was residing in the owner’s cabin.
“We see the door open and I see some shoes down there and I’m like, ‘OK, well it’s just a hiker who decided to hold up in the blizzard we had that previous night,’” Gutierrez said in a media briefing Wednesday afternoon. “As soon as we start making our way there, here comes Tiffany, she pops out, deer in the headlights. So she pops out, didn’t say a word, just ran up and all she wanted was a hug.”
Slaton’s parents were subsequently informed of the discovery of their daughter.
“To get a phone call that Tiffany is doing fine, it’s hard to contain your tears and your excitement in the middle of clothes shopping,” her father said.
“I know, for me, I saw a lady in there,” her mother said. “Bobby was in there crying and I didn’t know what was going on and I just grabbed somebody and said, ‘Can I hug you?’ And I did. I was crying and hugging. She was just somebody that was close and I needed to hug somebody.”
According to the sheriff’s office, there have been a few cases in recent years of hikers surviving the harsh conditions of the Sierras, but never to this extent.
“Two days, nine days. That’s amazing,” Fresno County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Tony Botti said. “But three weeks, it’s unheard of.”
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