Group missing in freezing weather found alive

A desperate search for a couple and four children missing for two days in the below-zero cold of Nevada’s rugged mountains turned jubilant Tuesday when rescuers found them alive and near their overturned Jeep.

About 200 people had searched by land and air after the group of six failed to return Sunday from a trip to play in the snow near their hometown of Lovelock, in Nevada’s high desert.

“They stayed together and that was the key that allowed them to live through this experience. You don’t see that that often in search and rescue,” said Paul Burke, search-and-rescue coordinator for the state. “They did some pretty unusual things, heating up rocks and things. Staying together, that was a big deal.”

Their Jeep had overturned just off a road. A member of the rescue team said the engine would no longer start, but the group stayed in the upside-down vehicle for shelter, burning the spare tire to keep warm.

“Their father kept them alive and well,” said Patty Bianchi, CEO of Pershing General Hospital, where the six were taken. “Everybody is in good shape. There was no frostbite. They are stable. They suffered a little exposure and dehydration, but that is all.”

The six were taken to a hospital, where about 100 well-wishers lined the street outside and broke into cheers when two of the smallest children were taken from an ambulance. The others walked into the hospital on their own.

“The mood where I’m at’s ecstatic,” said Col. Tim Hahn of the Civil Air Patrol, which used several planes to search for the group. “We are thrilled beyond words.”

Rescuers began scouring the Seven Troughs Area wilderness on Sunday night for James Glanton, 34; his girlfriend, Christina McIntee, 25; their two children, Evan and Chloe Glanton; and Shelby Fitzpatrick and Tate McIntee, a niece and nephew of McIntee’s. The children range in age from 3 to 10.

The situation grew more dire as overnight temperatures in Lovelock dipped to minus 16 degrees.

A cellphone forensics team analyzed which towers the group’s phone was in contact with during their trip, giving searchers a better idea of where they might be, Hahn said. They were so far out in the wilderness that they apparently were unable to call for help.

Searchers included a Navy search-and-rescue team and the Civil Air Patrol, an all-volunteer auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, along with sheriff’s deputies. A special helicopter from Washoe County was also part of the search, and the Nevada National Guard sent a helicopter equipped with infrared technology.

Among the search teams were more than 100 local residents.

“That’s what this town does,” said Sheila Reitz, Pershing County dispatch supervisor. “People were taking time off from work. That couple has been here forever. Everybody knows them since they were kids.”

Search volunteer Chris Montes said he and two rescuers with him first spotted children’s footprints in the snow, then followed a set of Jeep tracks until they found the flipped vehicle and the family beside it.

They had food and water when rescuers reached them, and were treated for mild dehydration.

“They just said that they knew somebody was going to find them,” Montes said.

The discovery prompted a wave of relief on social media.