Mexicali Boy Found Safe but Scratched; Wants Burger, Soda

A Mexicali boy who wandered away from his family’s campsite in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park over the weekend was found in a rocky ravine Wednesday--cold, weary and hungry but bearing only minor cuts and bruises.

Jesus Antonio (Pepin) Garcia Morales, 7, was found sitting on a rock in a rugged gully at 4:40 p.m. by a team of 13 Marines, who were among more than 200 volunteers, rangers and law enforcement officials who had searched the mountainous park since the boy disappeared Sunday afternoon.

‘A Little Disoriented’

A Sheriff’s Department spokesman said that Jesus was dirty, “a little disoriented,” weak and complaining of a stomachache when he was found 1 1/2 miles from the family campsite, but that he appeared to be in good spirits. His first request was for a hamburger and a soda.

Pfc. David W. Young III was the first of the Marines to see the boy. As the servicemen called out his name and approached, Jesus “just smiled at us like he was saying, ‘What took you guys so long?’ ” Young said.

Later, his parents, visibly relieved after growing despondent in the hours before the boy was found, spoke briefly about their feelings. They said they spent a lot of time praying.

“We never lost hope,” said his mother, Corina Morales, who was beaming. “We prayed to God for our boy, and we never thought we wouldn’t get him back.”

“We want to thank everyone who helped,” added the boy’s father, Antonio Garcia. “Everyone treated us so well. We’re very thankful.”

After the boy was plucked from the wilderness and reunited with his parents, who had kept a nervous vigil at the park since their son vanished, he was wrapped in a crimson blanket and taken by Life Flight helicopter to Sharp Memorial Hospital’s emergency room, accompanied by his mother. He suffered mild dehydration and hypothermia and was given oxygen and an intravenous saline solution during the trip.

As the helicopter landed at 5:40, the pilot, Pat Whaley, gave a thumbs-up signal. He said he was moved by the moment: “I get choked up just talking about this. I got a kid, too, just 5 weeks old.”

After a brief examination, a physician said Jesus had a sunburned face and superficial scratches, probably from the tree branches and brush of Cuyamaca Park, but appeared to have no internal injuries. Dr. Bradley Peterson said the boy was in good condition; he was later transferred to Children’s Hospital. He is likely to be released to his parents within a day or two.

“He says he feels good,” Peterson said. “He doesn’t feel any pain, and he wants a hamburger. He’s talking, he’s alert, he knows where he is and he wants a hamburger and some M & Ms.”

The search for Jesus began Sunday afternoon shortly after he, his parents, his twin brother Fernando Antonio, and another family arrived at the Green Valley Falls campground and picnic area from their Mexicali home. When Jesus failed to return to the campsite after trekking off to gather pine cones, his parents grew worried and notified park authorities.

By dusk, sheriff’s deputies were circling above the mountainous terrain in helicopters, broadcasting appeals from the boy’s mother over their loudspeakers. Infrared scanners were deployed as darkness fell. On Monday, the search party grew and began fanning out across what eventually became a 20-mile radius. A Sheriff’s Department command post was set up and photos of the missing child were posted around the park.

The massive search posse included the team from the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego, park employees, sheriff’s deputies, inmates from county honor camps, and an array of civilian volunteers, from retirees to business owners. Members of search-and-rescue teams from as far away as Ventura County and Barstow joined in. Those prowling the park on horseback were supported by dog teams, including the state’s only St. Bernard trained in search tactics.

But, despite the growing search team, scarcely a trace of the 75-pound boy--who was wearing Levi’s, a thin striped shirt and high-top tennis shoes when last seen--turned up.

On Sunday, search dogs, using clothes previously worn by the boys, picked up his scent near an area known as Arroyo Seco Primitive Camp--where Jesus was finally found--but lost it. Footprints were seen in another region, but they led nowhere.

Authorities began to fear for Jesus’ health as night temperatures dipped into the low 40s. And the child’s parents, growing ever anxious, began to fear their son had been kidnaped.

But, on Wednesday, as the sunlight began to fade and another day of searching appeared to be coming to a fruitless end, Young, the Marine, saw something. The Marines were on a ridge, scanning an area close to the Arroyo Seco Primitive Camp and about 2 miles from California 79. They had checked out the same area Tuesday, and some team members favored moving onward. But Young persisted.

“I looked to the Marine behind me, and when I turned back, the little boy was just sitting on a rock, all happy to see us,” said Young, who is based at the MCRD and hails from Brooklyn. The child’s shirt was torn from five or six falls, but otherwise he seemed in fine shape.

After the Marines sent word of their find, cheers abounded at the command post, and a four-wheel-drive vehicle was sent for the child.

Carlos Jacobo, a U. S.-Mexican liaison officer with the Sheriff’s Department, said Jesus told investigators he heard his mother calling out to him from the helicopters and had yelled back but to no avail. His major complaints, Jacobo said, was that he was “hungry and his stomach hurt.” His last meal was a sandwich Sunday morning.

The boy’s father, Antonio Garcia, was the picture of relief Wednesday night. As he rushed through the hospital toward his son’s room, Garcia, an agricultural engineer who speaks only Spanish, said he was “muy feliz”-- very happy.

Times staff writers Leslie Wolf and Patrick McDonnell contributed to this story.