Missing 70-Year-Old Man Found Safe
July 5, 2026 – Fresno County Sheriff's Office officials report that at around 1:00 P.M. on Saturday, July 4, a 
volunteer Air Squadron member spotted Rondy Packard’s vehicle in an extremely remote area approximately 20 miles northeast of Pine Flat Lake, just above Fence Meadow. Shortly before 3:30 P.M., search teams responded there and found Packard about 500 feet from his pickup truck. He was alive, alert and in good health.
Due to the rugged terrain, the California Highway Patrol’s H-40 helicopter hoisted Packard from the scene and safely transported him to awaiting medical personnel.
View video here.
CHP - Fresno Helicopter H-40 lowers Rondy Packard down to rescue personnel for a medical evaluation.
The 70-year-old man was last seen Sunday, when he left Fresno to go fishing. The Fresno County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue team found him alive near Pine Flat Lake on Saturday.
***Background Information***
70-year-old Rondy Earl Packard Sr. had been last seen on the morning of Sunday, June 28, when he left his Pinedale home to go fishing. After never returning home, family reported him missing.
A resident later reported seeing him on the afternoon of June 28. He was in his Nissan pickup truck driving eastbound on Trimmer Springs Road near Pine Flat Lake. The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue (SAR) Team deployed personnel to the area. An extensive ground and aerial search operation was conducted in the remote wilderness surrounding Pine Flat Lake.
The SAR team was comprised of deputies, the volunteer Jeep team, the volunteer Air Squadron, our Off-Road Vehicle Unit and our helicopter EAGLE One. Throughout the search, additional resources and assistance was provided by the California Office of Emergency services.
This was a great all-around team effort that led to a happy ending.
Source: Fresno County Sheriff's Office