# From 2019: Sheryl Powell goes missing for four days in Bristlecone Pine Forest (California) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 21, 2023, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-2019-sheryl-powell-goes-missing-for-four-days-in-bristlecone-pine-forest-california/981439 "2023-03-21T14:32:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2023, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-2019-sheryl-powell-goes-missing-for-four-days-in-bristlecone-pine-forest-california/981439/1 "2023-03-21T14:32:13Z")
One of those stories that just seems a bit odd. A couple and the couple’s dog go camping. She disappears with her dog while the husband moves the jeep. They found the dog (alive!) 2½ miles away from where she had last been seen, and she was found (alive, but dehydrated) shortly afterwards. The husband suspected that, eh, “someone had threatened her,” and that’s why she took off running (or something like that). No follow-up on this story, and I guess all’s well that ends well, but I wonder if they had had some spat, and she had stormed off, or if she was having some kind of mental “crisis.” I guess we’ll never know. (But inquiring minds wanna!) [Story](https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/15/us/search-for-missing-camper-ca/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2023, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-2019-sheryl-powell-goes-missing-for-four-days-in-bristlecone-pine-forest-california/981439/2 "2023-03-21T14:43:01Z")
Follow up like [this one](https://www.rgj.com/story/news/2019/07/16/missing-california-camper-sheryl-powell-says-she-fled-attacker/1746067001/)? Or maybe [this one](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7250919/Mom-missing-four-days-California-mountains-say-man-knife-threatened-rape-her.html)? Or even [this one](https://nypost.com/2019/07/16/hiker-found-days-after-vanishing-claims-knife-wielding-man-chased-her/)? ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2023, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-2019-sheryl-powell-goes-missing-for-four-days-in-bristlecone-pine-forest-california/981439/3 "2023-03-21T15:06:24Z")
Well, that was kinda mentioned in the OP, but, uh. . . no follow-up that I can see. 🙂 But in any case, thanks for the bump! ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2023, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-2019-sheryl-powell-goes-missing-for-four-days-in-bristlecone-pine-forest-california/981439/4 "2023-03-21T15:26:33Z")
From the various reports: > says a knife-wielding man chased her into the backcountry > “The guy was between me and my husband so I went the other way,” she said during the ABC interview…By the time she felt she was safe from attack, she realized she was no longer in the same canyon. > She survived off stagnant water and cactus flower and stayed off the main paths for fear the man was following her… She hid because she thought he was following here _for four days_? I don’t think so. > “Short of Mrs. Powell’s eyewitness account of the suspect, there have been no other reports of someone matching this description or incidents reported in Inyo County that are similar to this.” Some people can be incredibly bad at orienting themselves when they are even a few feet off trail in forest. I think she wandered off the trail, got lost, and made up this story about a knife-wielding assailant out of embarrassment. Also - Inyo National Forest is not like the National Parks, if they send a helicopter (depending where it comes from) you may get a bill for $30,000. That could be a factor in her story. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2023, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-2019-sheryl-powell-goes-missing-for-four-days-in-bristlecone-pine-forest-california/981439/5 "2023-03-21T15:33:58Z")
Reddit thread about it: > **[r/TrueCrimeDiscussion - Sheryl Powell Knife Attack Updates](https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueCrimeDiscussion/comments/cdze4s/sheryl_powell_knife_attack_updates/)** > > 51 votes and 82 comments so far on Reddit ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2023, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-2019-sheryl-powell-goes-missing-for-four-days-in-bristlecone-pine-forest-california/981439/6 "2023-03-21T15:47:43Z")
[quote=“Riemann, post:4, topic:981439, full:true”] [snip] Also - Inyo National Forest is not like the National Parks, if they send a helicopter (depending where it comes from) you may get a bill for $30,000. That could be a factor in her story. [/quote] Yeah, that is some serious sticker shock for a rescue. (But I guess pretty similar to the cost of a Medevac flight.)