HANCOCK — On Oct. 4 at 7:50 p.m. Delaware County requested Forest Ranger assistance in the search for a missing 90-year-old with early signs of dementia. The subject was last seen at 3 p.m.

Rangers joined search crews from the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office, the Delaware County Tech Team, New York City Department of Environmental Protection, and the Cooks Falls, Downsville, East Branch, Hancock, Roscoe Rockland, and Trout Creek Fire Departments.

At 9 a.m. a search group found the subject in a ravine on Dry Brook Ridge Road. The subject was conscious and alert but dehydrated.

As of July 1, Rangers have conducted 139 search and rescue missions in 2025, extinguished 82 wildfires covering nearly 705 acres, and participated in 56 prescribed fires that rejuvenated 1,514 acres of land to date. In 2024, DEC Forest Rangers conducted 362 search and rescue missions, extinguished 122 wildfires covering nearly 6,500 acres, participated in 60 prescribed fires that served to rejuvenate more than 1,155 acres of land, and worked on cases that resulted in more than 1,200 tickets and arrests.  

Be sure to properly prepare and plan before entering the backcountry. Visit DEC's Hike Smart NY, Adirondack Backcountry Information, and Catskill Backcountry Information webpages for more information.

If a person needs a Forest Ranger, whether it's for a search and rescue, to report a wildfire, or to report illegal activity on state lands and easements, they should call 833-NYS-RANGERS. If a person needs urgent assistance, they can call 911. To contact a Forest Ranger for information about a specific location, the DEC website has phone numbers for every Ranger listed by region: http://on.ny.gov/NYSForestRangerRoster