Countywide

San Diego County sheriff’s deputies were searching late Sunday for a 9-year-old boy who became lost on Mt. Laguna during an afternoon outing with his parents, authorities said.

Michael Ashworth, whose address was not available, apparently walked away from his parents during daylight hours Sunday. By 6 p.m., more than 70 deputies from the Sheriff’s Department’s search and rescue team were scouring the area south of the 6,000-foot summit.

Authorities said cold weather might be a factor in the child’s survival. Temperatures were expected to dip into the 40s by Monday morning.

“They say it’s extremely cold on that mountain right now,” said Sgt. Roy Stamper of the Sheriff’s Department. “And it’s going to get colder.”

The rescue team--which included dog trackers, foot trackers and a search helicopter--began its search at dusk and was expected to continue throughout the night. There was also a team of searchers from the U.S. Border Patrol whose members are trained to track from horseback.

A command post was also established at the Meadow Information Center, at the 19-mile marker on Sunrise Highway, where the boy’s parents were holding vigil, Stamper said.

“He’s not outfitted for any cold temperatures, so we’re worried,” he said. “And he doesn’t have any specific skill for such an ordeal. He’s probably walking around crying. He’ll probably wander around until he gets exhausted and then sit down. That’s how we find a lot of these lost kids.”

Authorities could not say how the boy became separated from his parents.