News Release

Search Continues for Hiker Matt Thoke, Missing for 9 Days in Sequoia National Park

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News Release Date: July 29, 2021
Contact: Sintia Kawasaki-Yee, [phone]

SEQUOIA AND KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARKS, Calif. July 29, 2021 – A search is underway in Sequoia National Park for Matt Thoke, 43, of Newport Beach, CA. Thoke was last seen on Wednesday, July 21 at about 1 p.m. leaving the High Sierra Trail approximately three miles east of the Crescent Meadow trailhead, just east of Panther Creek. Anyone who may have been in this area anytime after July 21 is urged to contact Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks Dispatch at 888-677-2746 or [e-mail].

Thoke had split from his group during a multi-day wilderness trip and was hiking from Bearpaw to Crescent Meadow when he walked off trail, downhill to the south, without his pack. Thoke is six feet tall, 160 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing an orange t-shirt, blue shorts, and pink hat.

An intensive search effort launched on the afternoon of July 21 with search personnel in the field daily, including:

*Ground Search and Rescue Teams
*Dog Search Teams
*Aerial Searches
*Trail Containment and Investigation
*Investigative Efforts

The search area terrain is extremely treacherous, and the park is using experienced search teams for these efforts.

“We are very optimistic and hopeful that the NPS will bring Matt Thoke home,” Lisa Thoke, wife of Matt Thoke says. “We appreciate the passion, care, and strategy they have for this mission. I truly believe his love for life and people are what’s keeping him going strong and alive. He is extraordinarily loved, not just by me, but by hundreds of family members and friends and everyone he’s touched throughout his life and all over the world. We can’t wait to get him back into our arms, so he continues to bring joy and impact others positively as he’s always done.”

The family asks for privacy at this time, and all media requests should go through the public information officer assigned to this incident.

Search efforts have been led by Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks with the assistance of Tulare and Fresno County Sherriff’s Offices, Yosemite National Park, Joshua Tree National Park, California National Guard, California Office of Emergency Services, and US Forest Service.

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