MENA—Searchers have found a Texas man who went missing last weekend while hiking alone in a remote area of Arkansas.
Polk County Sheriff Scott Sawyer says 38-year-old Joshua McClatchy, of Fort Worth, was dehydrated but in good spirits when he was found late Friday.
A picture from Obeidin showed McClatchy on a stretcher being loaded into a vehicle. His forehead was bandaged and he looked rugged but he was smiling.
Just before midnight, almost seven days after he went missing, Joshua McClatchy was found alive on the Buckeye Trail by rescue crews in Arkansas. Authorities used cell data to track the location of the Fort Worth hiker. #findjoshuamcclatchyhttps://t.co/NSd543cMid
— Marjorie Owens (@clumsyandshy) June 8, 2019
He was taken to Mena Regional Health System for evaluation, joined by his sister and parents.
Sawyer says improved weather conditions allowed searchers to use a National Guard helicopter equipped with infrared technology to search the Caney Creek Wilderness area, which is about 105 miles southwest of Little Rock.
The chopper crew spotted McClatchy. It took rescuers on the ground an hour to reach him and several more hours to carry him out.
“No matter what it takes.”
Joshua McClatchy’s friends aren’t giving up on finding him.
The Fort Worth hiker has been missing since Saturday. The search continues.More: https://t.co/V1omWSeclV @wfaa @THV11 @TEGNA @ABC #FindJoshuaMcClatchy pic.twitter.com/H6GS8j0PC8
— Tiffany Liou (@tliou) June 7, 2019
Family Pledged to Find Him
McClatchy’s family and his roommate had pledged to find the hiker, frequently saying they thought he’d be found alive.
Obeidin told WFAA that he’d keep searching however long it took.
“I’ll go out there every weekend until he’s found,” he said.
Balduf, McClatchy’s sister, said that her brother had not gone on the trip without preparing extensively.
“My brother is very smart and was well prepared for this trip,” she told WFAA. “He loves hiking, camping, and the outdoors.”
“He was extremely excited about this trip. He spoke about the trip during all of our conversations for the last month,” Balduf added.
NTD News reporter Zachary Stieber and The Associated Press contributed to this article.
