Searchers Look for Missing Hiker, 15
A 15-year-old Thousand Oaks girl has been missing since she went hiking alone Sunday, authorities said. Her disappearance sparked a search Monday evening by the Ventura County sheriff’s search and rescue unit.
Lennea Diederichs went hiking in the rugged 1,700-acre Wildwood Park in Thousand Oaks at about 3 p.m. Sunday wearing only a shirt, shorts and shoes, Sheriff’s Sgt. Robert Sparks said.
The girl’s parents reported her missing shortly after 5 p.m. Monday, Sparks said.
At 6:55 p.m., shortly after sundown, a sheriff’s helicopter and a team of 15 volunteers from the East County search and rescue team descended on the park to search for the missing teen-ager.
The girl’s parents, Dorn and Connie Diederichs, told police that the girl, a student at Conejo Valley High School, is very familiar with the park’s hiking paths, Sparks said. The Diederichs were at the park Monday evening helping the search and rescue team decide where to look.
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