A 42-year-old man was left alone in a dangerously remote area near Lake Mead in Arizona after his family couldn't find him following a birthday party.
The Mohave County Sheriff's Office was in the area near Kingman Wash in the Lake Mead Recreation Area, helping a stranded motorist, when they received a report of a man screaming for help.
Authorities located the man near Kingman Wash. The sheriff's office said the man was left stranded in the remote area on Sunday, July 27, following a family birthday party.
"They had been celebrating the birthday of a family member and when it was time to leave, no one could find him – so they left a few supplies behind for him before leaving the area," police said.
The family did not report the man as missing until around noon Monday and he wasn't found until Tuesday morning meaning he spent two night alone in the wilderness with little protection from the elements.
"Searchers were able to make verbal contact with the missing male and determined he was on a steep hill to the west of Kingman Wash," police said. "An NPS ranger and searchers responded up the hill, while maintaining verbal contact with him. He was located and found to have no shirt, shoes, food, or water."
The Daily Mail reported that the Lake Mead area is known as Dead Body Soup Lake because of the number of deaths that regularly occur in the area. The outlet reported that from 2013 to 2023, the park officially averaged about 21 deaths a year.
"It remains unclear why Mohave County was not initially notified of the missing person report filed with NPS the day before," police said.
