Search Continues for Man Missing in Forest

Rescue crews on land and in the air intensified their search Sunday along rough terrain in the Angeles National Forest for a Palmdale sheriff’s deputy known to be an experienced outdoorsman.

Jonathan Aujay, 38--a dog handler with the Sheriff Department’s Special Enforcement Bureau--has not been seen since Thursday, when he did not return from a daylong hiking trip to Devil’s Punchbowl, said Sheriff’s Deputy Cruz Solis.

Aujay knew the land well because he often trained there with his dog, according to authorities.

“He’s very well-trained,” Solis said. “That’s why we are concerned that something may have gone wrong.”

Devil’s Punchbowl, with peaks as high as 6,500 feet, lies in isolated terrain east of Palmdale on the northern fringe of the national forest. Nearby are Mt. Baldy, 12,000 feet, and Mt. Baden Powell, 10,000 feet.

Aujay told his wife Thursday morning that he was going on a hike and would be back by dark, Solis said. When Aujay failed to return, his wife called the Sheriff’s Department’s Palmdale station at 11 p.m.

Rescue crews with dogs began an extensive search Friday morning. Four members of the Sheriff Department’s Emergency Services Detail camped overnight in the mountains, tracing footprints they hoped would lead them to Aujay, according to authorities.

The rescue effort continued through Saturday but was called off after dark, authorities said. Officials believed Aujay might emerge from the forest by himself Sunday since he was scheduled to work at 4 p.m., Solis said. When he did not emerge, the search was resumed at noon.

The rescue crew included members of the Emergency Services Detail, Special Enforcement and Aero bureaus, as well as the Montrose and Antelope Valley search and rescue teams.

A team of 17 Air Force personnel from Edwards Air Force Base was expected to search through the night with the help of special equipment including night vision goggles, global positioning systems, jeeps and all-terrain vehicles.

Deputies expected to resume their search today if Aujay was not located by daybreak.