Rescuers find grandmother and 3 grandchildren who went missing on a hike in South Carolina

CLEVELAND, S.C. (AP) — Rescuers on Tuesday found a grandmother and three grandchildren who reported the prior evening that they had gotten lost while hiking in a South Carolina state park, prompting a massive search with drones, helicopters, off-road vehicles and dogs.

The Greenville County Sheriff’s Office said the four had parked a vehicle near one trailhead at Caesars Head State Park in Cleveland but were discovered on a different trail altogether.

A helicopter evacuated them from rough terrain that was slickened further by rain, said Greenville County Sheriff Hobart Lewis. The hikers had no apparent injuries and were being reunited with family, he said. Emergency responders were set to assess their health further.

“Everything has gone fine and everybody should have made their reunion up there,” Lewis told reporters Tuesday.

A boy called 911 on Monday evening saying he and three family members had been lost for about three hours in the area of the state park, the sheriff’s office said in a statement.

The sheriff’s office identified the hikers as Tonda Michelin, 53; Melody Bangs, 14; Michael Lawton, 11; and Dale Moser, 9. Authorities have not said whether they live locally, or why the grandmother did not place the call.

During the 911 call, the child said his phone battery had almost run out but he was able to stay on the phone for 10 or 12 minutes, the sheriff said. The boy was coherent and knew what was going on, he said.

“We’ll talk to the grandmother and kids and figure out what they might have done last night,” Lewis said.

The search began Monday and at least 50 people from half a dozen agencies including the National Guard were involved.

Caesars Head State Park is about 30 miles (50 kilometers) northwest of Greenville, South Carolina, and is a protected environment for rare animals and plants.

The hikers had parked near the start of the Ravens Cliff Falls trail, which is a 4-mile (5.6-kilometer) round trip, leading to Caesars Head, a dramatic granite overlook atop the Blue Ridge Escarpment that provides views of many waterfalls.

All the Caesars Head trails are rated as advanced and are in a wilderness setting, according to the website. The hikers were discovered on the Bill Kimball trail, which is a particularly difficult hike.

“It’s rough,” Lewis said. “There’s some trails there, some for more experienced hikers than others. Hurricane Helene turned over a bunch of trees that are still down there, and covered a lot of those trails up. There’s some signs that are gone.”