Cellphone helps deputies and rangers find hiker lost in Iller Creek Conservation Area

A hiker who was lost for almost two hours Monday evening was found by Spokane County Sheriff’s deputies with the assistance of park rangers and a helpful citizen.

The 19-year-old woman called 911 for help at about 5 p.m. after she became lost while hiking in the Iller Creek Conservation Area southeast of Spokane, deputies wrote in a news release. The woman called as it was getting dark and told operators she didn’t know how to get back to her vehicle.

Deputies responded to the area along with Spokane County Park Rangers and Air 1 Flight crews. They were able to ping the woman’s phone and get GPS coordinates that helped narrow the search area, deputies said.

The helicopter began checking the dark wooded area overhead with night vision goggles as the woman held her lit screen of her cellphone toward the sky. Deputies were able to instantly spot her phone.

A park ranger arrived in the area with an ATV and began coordinating with other authorities. A citizen apparently contacted officials and provided the location of an obscure road that helped them find the woman.

The woman, who had water and warm clothes, was provided a ride back to her vehicle parked at the trail head.