Missing Pastor Found 200 Miles Away in Forest

While his family and congregation worried that he was kidnapped or dead, the Rev. Ron Dybvig, suffering severe depression, drove more than 200 miles south and laid on a bed of leaves in the Cleveland National Forest, hoping to clear his soul.

Dybvig was reported missing Sunday after he didn’t show up for services at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in near Ventura. His abandoned car was found Tuesday in the snow-covered mountains of Cuyamaca Rancho State Park in eastern San Diego County.

As search crews canvassed trails Wednesday, Dybvig wandered west of where his car was parked and met a couple of hikers who knew rangers were looking for a man fitting his description. They convinced Dybvig to go to a nearby youth camp and contact a ranger, said Lt. Robert Curry of the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.

Dybvig, 55, was dehydrated and his feet were swollen from the onset of frostbite, Curry said.

“He said he needed some time to sort out his problems,” Curry said. “He said he spent all his time taking care of other people and not himself. He’s apparently been a pastor for about 30 years and the stresses of it just caught up with him.”