An 86-year-old Independence resident was found alive and well after spending a night near Mazourka Canyon. The Inyo Sheriffs Department, Inyo SAR volunteers, along with friends and family that volunteered, headed into the Inyo Mountains and the area east of the Owens River to search for Louis Mark Mannatt.inyo_county_jail

Mannatt had been last seen on Friday at about 3:00 pm leaving his home. He was said to have been driving a silver, 2001 Toyota Echo and brought along his miniature border collie. A search for the missing man geared up Friday night but was unsuccessful. With the brunt of the winter storm that blew into the Eastern Sierra over the weekend still on the way at that time, rescuers geared up a second push to find Mannatt early Saturday morning. This time the man was found in good shape.

It turns out that Mannatt had started to walk for town after his vehicle became stuck. When nightfall overtook him, he found a bit of shelter and sat down for the night along with his dog to help keep him warm.

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